Nine Months After
by bettertoflee
Summary: Things are changing fast for Aria and Ezra. They're newly engaged and already have a baby on the way... and quite honestly, life just couldn't be better. (Here is where I'd add a line of "but what will happen when..." but let's be real; this is going to be a lot of fluff and I am really looking forward to that. I hope you are too.) My first Ezria multi-chapter fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So this is going to be a multi-chapter fic, and it takes place after An EngAgement and after Planning Never Worked Well for Them Anyway. If you haven't read either of those (no worries, they are one-shots) I would suggest doing that first. However, if you don't want to, you won't be lost starting here. The A story line is not going to play a huge part of this - I might refer to it and I'm operating under the idea that it did happen, but going forward, they will most likely not be traipsing through the forest murdering folks.**

 **ALSO! I want to know what you want from this story. I have some ideas, mostly fluffy things ;), but I want to know what you want to read. So make sure you give me feedback!**

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Aria was starting to show, but just barely. She scratched at the skin around her midsection – the itching had been relentless for the past week and she had a little rash to prove it. She let out a frustrated breath, not bothering to be gentle as she set the table.

"If you keep scratching, its just going to start to hurt," Ezra said from behind her.

"It's too late," Aria shot back over her shoulder. She put the final plate down with more force than she meant to and the reverberating clatter reminded her that she was being unreasonable. She sighed and let both of her hands drop to her side. "I'm sorry I keep snapping at you." She turned to look at Ezra but his back was to her.

"It's okay," he said, not turning around. She took a moment to appreciate him from behind as he stood over the sink, scrubbing potatoes. The waffle t-shirt he was wearing clung to his shoulders in a way that made her want to snuggle up next to him, and as she watched the way his arms made a back-and-forth motion, scrubbing the dirt from each potato, she couldn't help but acknowledge the heat that was beginning to rise somewhere behind her navel.

The itching wasn't the only thing that had started as she entered her second trimester. With each day came less morning sickness and more hormones.

And with the hormones came an increased libido. Which meant _very_ good things for both of them.

"Are you sure we can't call and cancel?" she asked, sneaking up behind him and snaking her arms around his torso. "I could say I don't feel well, they wouldn't even suspect that it wasn't the truth."

Ezra turned the water off and placed the last potato on the counter next to the others. "Which is why we aren't going to do that," he answered, turning so that they were now chest-to-chest. He reached up and cupped her face. "It'll be fine," he said quietly, giving her a soft look.

Aria's breath caught in her chest. "You're getting me all wet," she said.

"Am I?"

His eyes burned into her, roaming over every inch of her skin. She could feel herself turning to putty beneath his gaze.

"I—" her voice cracked and she felt the heat rising, painting her cheeks pink. "That's not what I meant," she finally finished.

"No, but I am, aren't I?"

"Yes," she said simply. She angled her head up just barely, parting her lips, hoping he'd get the hint.

Ezra leaned down and nipped at her bottom lip, pulling the soft, supple skin between his teeth. He let his hands trail up from her cheeks, along her temple and buried them in her hair until one was caressing the nape of her neck and the other was trailing its way down her back.

"Ezra," she moaned into their kiss. There was a little reluctance and a little disappointment in it.

"What?" he said, teasing evident in his voice. He knew what he was doing, but it was so hard _not_ to. She'd been nothing but pent up energy the past few days and he loved having the ability to take full advantage of it. If he thought the hormones associated with high-school-Aria were crazy, he was wrong. They were nothing compared to the hormones that came with pregnant-Aria. He pulled away, moving his hands to her hips. "Want me to stop?"

"No," she said at first. He gave her a look of surprise and started to lean back in for a second round of tongue-hockey. Aria held up her hand between them before he could completely close the distance. "Yes," she said, changing her mind. "Unless you're going to let me call and tell them not to come," she said.

Ezra smiled and changed his course, placing a quick little kiss on the tip of her nose instead. "No canceling," he said.

Aria sighed and tore herself away from his embrace, the absence of his warmth around her torso only adding to her agitation. She turned to walk back to the table, but before she was completely out of arm's reach, Ezra reached back and swatted, leaving a good smack on her right cheek. She whipped around and shot him a playfully daring glare.

"Oh you're in for it later, Mr. Fitz," she warned.

He leaned back against the counter, crossing his ankles and sweeping one hand through his messy black hair, not breaking eye contact with her the whole time. "Is that a promise, Miss Montgomery?"

Just as Aria was about to bite back with something witty (and potentially sexy), her cell phone began to buzz on the counter. The pent up sexual tension was growing between them and Aria could practically feel the blood as it coursed through her veins with extra fervor.

"Hello?" she said into the phone. Ezra gave her a questioning look.

 _"_ _Hey, Aria, are Mom and Dad there yet?"_

Aria pulled the phone back so that the receiving end was below her chin and mouthed, _'It's Mike,'_ before answering, "Not yet, but they should be here soon. Why?"

 _"_ _Mom called and asked that I bring a bottle of wine from the house, but now I can't remember which one she wanted and she's not answering her phone," he said._

"Well have you tried calling Byron?" Aria asked. She waited, listening to his response while chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

Ezra wondered what Mike could be calling about. He knew that if he were canceling, Aria would look more excited. She'd been looking for a reason to push this dinner off all day.

"Okay, well just grab whatever you want. I'm sure it doesn't matter," she said, finally growing a little agitated. "Ezra and I probably won't even drink any. I've been trying to stick to water and he's not a wine drinker." She paused. "Yeah, all right. See you soon." She pulled the phone away from her ear and jabbed her thumb at the screen, then let it slide back to the counter.

"What was that about?" Ezra asked.

"Ella told Mike to bring a bottle of wine. Ezra, I'm not ready to do this."

"Yes you are," he said sweetly, coming over and leaning on the counter.

"My dad is going to kill you."

"Trust me, Aria, if your dad was going to kill me, he'd have done it by now."

"Fine, then my dad is going to kill me."

"No, he isn't. He loves you," Ezra said, holding her out at arm's length. "You're being a tad dramatic, don't you think?"

"Just because we haven't had any trouble from him in a while doesn't mean he's gotten used to the idea of us being together. Not really."

Ezra reached down and took a hold of her hands. He stared at their interlaced fingers and toyed with the ring that sat on her left hand. He looked up to meet her eyes.

"I love you, and I love this baby, and that's all that matters. I don't care if Ella and Byron aren't in love with the idea right away. They don't have to be." His attempt at making her feel less stressed wasn't really working, and he could tell, but he was trying his best. "And besides, they were okay with the idea of us getting married before there was a baby involved. They had to know we'd have kids someday."

Aria pulled back from his grasp and tucked her hair behind her hair, a nervous habit she'd developed recently. The short locks framed her face well and Ezra made a conscious effort to admire the way her pouty lips stuck out a little extra when she was visibly becoming irritated. She moved her hands so that one was resting on the top of her slight bump, the other absently itching at her side.

It was a subconscious motion. One that Ezra wanted to memorize and never forget.

"Just promise me that if the night starts to go poorly, we won't let it turn into a fight? I can't handle that right now."

"I promise," Ezra said, leaning forward to give her a chaste kiss. Before he pulled away, he looked into her eyes and said, "It's all going to be okay."

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 **I know this is a short start, but I promise there is more to come soon. I hope you are enjoying it so far. Let me know what you're thinking, let me know what you're hoping will happen, let me know what scenes you'd like to see... I might go back and fill in those first three months (or bits of it) with some one-shots, but I'm trying something a little different in mid-pregnancy.**

 **I'm excited to write this, but I am writing it as I go. Forgive me if there are inconsistencies along the way and forgive me if I'm slow to update.** **The more reviews the more likely I'll be to feel the need to update.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here is the next installment. Hope you enjoy.**

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About a half an hour later, there was a rough knock on the door and Aria felt her stomach plummet. She looked to Ezra, who was bent over the oven, two mitted hands pulling a steaming dish off the rack, and told herself to take a deep breath. The news they had to share this evening was happy. Her parents would be happy. Mike would be happy. By the end of the night, they would all be laughing and smiling, and Ezra's hand would be resting gently atop her belly, just like every other evening they spent together at home, and they wouldn't have to worry about whether or not anyone was watching – because everything was _okay_.

That was the biggest thing she needed to remind herself as she entered the evening. She was no longer in high school, it had been years since he had been her teacher, they were getting married, they lived together, they both had a steady income, and they weren't struggling on any front. There was no reason they couldn't bring a child into this world.

She walked over to the door and pulled, smiling as she was greeted with Ella's smiling face.

"Hi, Mom," she said, standing back so that they could enter the apartment. "Dad," she said. Byron gave her a nod, and the look on his face did nothing to quell her nerves. "Here, let me take your jackets."

"Thanks, sweetie," Ella said, smiling and leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek. Aria was grateful that Ella's hands were full. She didn't have a game plan for hugs. She'd successfully avoided them since her belly had truly began to grow, but that only meant that the last time they'd seen her, she really had been much thinner. A lot could happen in a few weeks. Aria hoped that her loose-fitted black shirt was able to conceal the party until the time was right.

At her request, both of her parents shrugged out of their coats and Aria took them into the hall, hanging them in the closet. She stood there, just out of sight for a moment and caught her breath, her hand resting on her belly for the last time until their news was out.

As she leaned against the closet door, her thumb making small movements along the edge of her belly button, she could hear her parents conversing with Ezra in the other room…

 _"_ _How are you, Ezra?" Byron said with a happy lilt to his voice. That was good, Aria thought. That was a good sign._

 _"_ _I'm great," Ezra replied. "It's been a long time since we've seen you guys, a few weeks I guess… but it feels longer. Can I get you something to drink? We've got tea, water, I have some scotch…"_

Aria rolled her eyes. Of course he offers scotch. She was sure they had decided not to bring alcohol into the conversation because that would open the opportunity for her to refuse a drink. It was bad enough that her mom had instructed Mike to come bearing a full bottle of wine…

She gave her belly one final rub before turning the corner and putting on a happy face.

"Mom, how's the art gallery doing?" she asked. Ella had moved into the living room and was looking at a few pictures that adorned the shelves, while Ezra and Byron were making small talk in the kitchen.

For the past year or so, Ella had been curating at the art gallery again, and though Aria knew she missed teaching, she seemed much happier about where her time was being spent.

"It's great," she said. "We've got a new piece that I think you'd really like. It's kind of dark, but there's a lot of soul behind it. You'll have to come by and take a look. I have a few projects I'd like your opinion on as well. Maybe we can get lunch soon."

"That'd be nice, I'd enjoy that."

"This is a really cute little apartment," Ella said, looking between Aria and Ezra, even though Ezra was still in the other room, unaware of the conversation that was taking place without him. "How are you two enjoying cohabitation?" She winked. "If I remember correctly, this is a good size bigger than the old apartment, correct?"

If Aria's stomach hadn't already been a jumble of nerves, it definitely was now. She could feel it bottoming out at the mention of 3B – because along with that apartment came all of the drama of high school. Ella knew more now than she had back then, but Byron was still mostly in the dark about the finer details of exactly how she and Ezra had spent their time together, a decision that Ella and Aria had come to together.

Aria had promised not to keep any more secrets… but Ella had also requested that she keep certain things from coming to light in front of her husband. Considering that her family had finally reached a good place, she was hesitant to do anything that could jeopardize that peace.

"It's definitely a little more spacious," Aria said lightly, laughing as she met Ezra's eye across the room. "And he's let me move some of my things in, which is a nice change of pace."

He must have heard her or read her lips as she spoke, because he chose that moment to chime in. "Hey, I never objected to that before," he said, bringing his scotch to his lips and taking a sip.

Ella narrowed her eyes at Ezra, warning him that he was treading dangerous waters. Thankfully, Byron didn't notice, or didn't care to ask questions.

Ezra moved to join the ladies in the living room and Byron followed behind him.

"Thank you for having us over tonight," Byron said, taking a seat on the couch and bringing Ella down to join him.

"Oh, it's our pleasure," Ezra said. He reached out and slid his arm around Aria's waist, letting his hand sit on her hip. He tugged her in a little closer so that her body molded with his own. "We'll sit down to eat as soon as Mike gets here."

"He should be here soon," Aria chimed in. "I talked to him a little while ago. I think he had to drop something off at Mona's but he was going to be here after."

"Are they back together?" Ella asked. She hadn't heard her son mention hide nor tail of Mona Vanderwaal in some time, but she'd suspected that they were seeing each other again after seeing them at The Grille one evening. Mike had not seen her, and she hadn't said anything, but she'd been keeping an ear out since then.

"I think so," Aria said. "But I'm not sure. I'm still not sure how I feel about Mona. Hanna hangs out with her from time to time, but it's not usually when the rest of us are together."

Ezra moved to sit in one of the chairs off to the side of the couch and brought Aria down to perch on his knees. She leaned back into him, crossing her legs so that they weren't awkwardly touching the ground. She was surprised at how awkward she felt displaying this level of affection in front of her parents, especially when all she was doing was sitting on her fiance's lap. The idea of being able to openly love Ezra in front of anyone still threw her off at times. In a good way.

"So, Ezra," Ella started, changing the topic of conversation, "do you think you all will plan on living here after the wedding? Have you two set a date yet?" Her attention shifted from Ezra to looking between the two as her question changed. "I'm just curious if I should be worried about losing my only daughter in a few months."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Ezra said. He let a hand run up and down Aria's arm, his fingers leaving a small trail of goose bumps in their wake. "We'll probably start looking for a house here soon, but I think we'd both like to stay in the area. For the time being at least."

"Really?" Byron questioned. He had been rather quiet since entering, aside from the surprisingly polite offer of thanks at being invited over. Aria's stomach sank for the hundredth time since the evening had started. She could tell from the tone of his voice that all the reservations he'd been pushing down over the past few months were starting to spring up again. She braced herself for whatever was coming next.

"Yes," she said. "Why wouldn't we want to stay in Rosewood?" It wasn't so much that she hadn't been dreaming of leaving the small town, but she was interested to know why her father was displaying a level of surprise at the fact that they might be sticking around.

"Well, I just thought, after all the trials you two have had, after all the events of the past few years, you might want a fresh start. That's all." Even though he was answering Aria's question, Byron's gaze did not leave Ezra's.

At the challenging remark, Ezra placed his hand further up Aria's thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. Aria jumped a little as his grip tickled her. She felt herself grow uncomfortably hot. Aria turned to give Ezra a warning glance, but rather than loosening his hold, Ezra left his hand tight on Aria's leg and began making gentle strokes, dangerously close to where her leg met her hip. He adjusted his body a bit below her so that she was angled into him more than she had been before and he leaned in to give her nose a light kiss.

Aria was close to shaking with the amount of nerves and sexual tension coursing through her body. It was a strange combination - feeling uncomfortable in front of her parents while at the same time being turned on by the public display of affection. At this rate, it wasn't going to take her long at all to reach that point, and every look Ezra gave her made her wish they were alone that much more. And they most certainly were _not_ alone.

They weren't by any means lounging or laying in the chair, but Ezra was definitely making it clear that they were in an intimate position, and that he wasn't self-conscious of who could see them.

"I think Aria and I both acknowledge that up until this point, we've had more than a few rocky roads thrown our way, but..." as he trailed off, he looked toward Aria to catch her eye, quietly assessing whether or not she felt the same way. It was a conversation they'd had plenty of times. They were ready to move forward, and that was a step they wanted to make together. "We don't want our past to keep us from living in the present, or planning a future."

"Well, don't you think that now, when you're both still fairly young, and untied by children and careers, would be a good time to go out and explore the world? Live in a new city, build a career from the ground up."

Aria had to work to keep her mouth from dropping open. However, she did not do anything to control the way her eyes grew in disbelief. Ezra slid his other hand so that it was under Aria, lightly grazing the outline of her back pocket. She knew he was warning her to stay calm, but his actions weren't exactly having the desired affect. He was having far more fun with this conversation than she was, and while she was glad for his input and control of the room, she couldn't keep her emotions in check. She was quickly reaching the point where she didn't know if she wanted to scream, or cry, or go hide in a closet. Being pregnant was wonderful, but all of the good things came at a cost, and tonight that cost was the ability to control her feelings.

At sensing the tension that had begun to settle over the room, Ella cut in. "Byron, really, if they want to move, they can move. But it's their life." She shifted her gaze from looking at her husband to looking at her daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law. "I for one wouldn't mind having you both stick around. I'd miss you if you were gone."

"I think that's a big part of why we want to stay," Aria said, testing the waters. She imagined the next words that would fly off her tongue. _We want our baby to be near its grandparents. I don't want to go through these next few years without my mom._

But as she looked back and made eye contact with Ezra, she was reminded, with a great deal of relief, that they had agreed to wait until after dinner to share that news, and they definitely wanted Mike to be there when it was shared. He and Ezra had grown rather close, and neither of them could deny the fact that he was an excellent buffer between Ezra and Byron.

So instead, Aria settled for, "I definitely don't want to stay in Rosewood forever, but I think for now, we're both settled on staying. The Brew is doing really well, and this town is a good place for writing."

"Well, we can't argue with that," Ella said. "How is everything with the book coming along? Any news on the release?"

Before they had the chance to answer, there was another knock on the door. This time, though, the person on the other side did not wait to be let in.

"Hey sis, sorry I'm late," Mike called into the room, entering with his arms full and closing the door behind him.

Aria took the opportunity to bolt up to welcome her brother in, maybe a little too eager to leave the heavy gaze of their parents.

All through dinner, hardly a word was said.

Ezra was growing increasingly more uncomfortable the longer he sat across from Byron. He had genuinely not been worried one bit before they arrived. But now, after seeing the way Aria's dad had been acting toward them, he was starting to feel incredibly uneasy about sharing their news, and he could sense that Aria was feeling increasingly more stressed about the situation.

He was unbelievably excited about the baby, and he knew Aria was too. Though they hadn't been planning for it, he honestly couldn't imagine not being in this place with her at this moment. It felt like this moment had been years in the making, and honestly, it had been. The past three months had been a hectic ride, between the morning sickness and the hormones, and all of that on top of trying to come to a decision about the wedding and adjusting to living together… but at the end of the day, they were finally in a place where everything felt right.

He couldn't remember the last time his happiness came from something that wasn't related to Aria. The book... getting back together with her... getting engaged... the baby. All of the highlights of the past year had stemmed from the brunette sitting beside him, and that thought made his heart feel incredibly full.

There was nothing holding them back, and he had been overjoyed at that notion... until Byron walked through the door and he got the sense that the blessing he'd received a few months ago when he'd asked for his daughters hand in marriage had not been given as freely as he'd thought.

For as hard as Ezra tried, he was at a loss as to why Byron was acting so tense. Ella was being as sweet as could be and Mike had been a godsend since walking in the door.

It wasn't as if Ezra hadn't done things in the past to warrant hesitance from Aria's family. He definitely had, and he wouldn't have blamed Byron for one second if any of those things had been a reason for not wanting him to be with his only daughter. But the truth of the matter was – he hadn't mentioned any of those things the evening Ezra went to talk to them, or a single time between that evening and this evening, which spanned three whole _months_ , and Ezra thought that it was fairly unreasonable for Byron to suddenly choose this moment to get upset.

He hated that Byron's attitude was rubbing off on Aria and that she was growing more and more anxious as the evening passed. And he knew from experience, that the more anxious she got, the more her stomach tended to act up. He'd been waiting for the better part of an hour for her to rush off in the direction of the bathroom and by the look on her face, it seemed that the time had come.

Almost on cue, Aria reached out and put her hand on Ezra's knee. They made eye contact and before he could say anything, she was up and down the hall. Thankfully, she was able to walk, even if it was at a brisk pace, and the only person who seemed to notice anything was Ella.

Ezra wondered what he should do - get up and go help the mother of his child as she inevitably hung her head into the bowl of the toilet, or sit and pretend like nothing was happening until the "time was right" and Aria was ready to tell her family their news.

He imagined that this was the baby's way of telling them there was no better time than the present. But he didn't want to throw Aria under the bus by making the announcement without warning. He decided a diversion would be the best option, then he'd excuse himself to check on her, and by the time they came back, they'd make themselves ready to share, regardless of whether or not that was really the case in their hearts.

Because, the fact remained: Aria would go through her entire pregnancy not telling Ella and Byron if she thought she could get away with it.

Okay, so maybe she'd eventually break down and talk to Ella. But Ezra knew that what she was dreading most was telling Byron. Admitting to your father that your high school English teacher impregnated you couldn't be easy, especially when you knew your father had his reservations to begin with… to hell with the fact that they hadn't been student-and-teacher for close to eight years at this point.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Anyone up for pie?"

"I was going to have another helping of the chicken and potatoes," Mike said, resting his fork next to his plate, "but pie sounds ten times better. What kind?"

"I think Aria picked up an apple, and if I had to guess…" Ezra scooted his chair back and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out two boxes from Paula's. He opened one, the apple, and set it on the counter. He opened the other, "Uh, huh," he said. "Key lime."

Ezra saw Mike hold back a smirk. They'd gotten close. They joked. Close proximity and friendship might have meant that Ezra had, on occasion, shared a few memories and/or inside jokes with his soon to be brother-in-law. What Aria didn't know wouldn't hurt her, in this case at least.

Ezra knew better than to keep anything bigger from her after all those years. That was a mistake he'd never make again.

"I hope you were planning on waiting for me to eat that," Aria said as she turned the corner and entered the room.

Mike couldn't hold back his laugh this time. Aria gave him a curious look, but didn't press for details, assuming she'd missed something when she was gone.

"Doing okay?" Ezra asked, the real question written in the look they shared.

"Yep," she said, offering a thankful smile. "Just needed to use the restroom _."_

"That pie looks great," Ella said, coming up beside Ezra. She had all their plates stacked. "When I was pregnant with Aria, I ate a whole pumpkin pie by myself. It was the most satisfying and most embarrassing moment of my life." She looked over to Aria and winked. "I'm not surprised one bit that this one has such an affinity for pie. Would you like these in the sink or on the counter?"

"No, here, I can take those," Aria said. She quickly walked over and took the stack from her mom, shooting Ezra a look before passing them to rinse the dishes in the sink. "Mike, there are bowls in that cabinet, would you mind?" She held her elbow out, pointing to her right.

"Sure," Mike said.

Byron had not moved from his place at the table, something that seemed odd to Aria, and she knew Mike would be picking up on it too. He'd been especially quiet all night, and the look he'd been giving Ezra made Aria's skin crawl. She thought that they were past this.

"You know, Mom," Aria called, I put a pot of coffee on right before we sat down to eat. There are mugs on the counter, why don't you pour everyone a cup?"

Ella smiled and obliged, joining Ezra at the island counter as they both began to cut and pour.

When Mike had made his way over to Aria, he came up behind her and whispered quietly in her ear. "What's up with dad?" He didn't stay there long, moving to the cabinet and making a good bit of noise, hoping that their chatter wouldn't be super noticeable between the water and the clanking of dishes.

Aria looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't know," she mouthed. Mike sat the pile of bowls down on the counter and pretended to examine one. Ella and Ezra had started to chat about something behind them. For safety measures, Mike picked up a bowl.

"This one has a spot," he said, coming closer to Aria and holding it out for her to take. Then he mumbled, "Is everything okay between you and Fitz? Dad's acting like you're dating your teacher again."

"I don't know, but if that's what he's pissed about, I…" she was so irritated she didn't hardly know what to say. "I thought we were past that. I mean, Ezra and I are a lot more than that now, and even though we're the same people, it's not like he's still my teacher," Aria shot back, running the bowl under the warm water.

"Don't yell at me, I'm on your side. You're not a baby, so it shouldn't matter to him what you do."

"Well, somehow it seems like it does," she said. Then louder, "here, I think that's better."

"Thanks," Mike said, drying to bowl and moving the stack over to where Ezra was standing.

The moment the word baby had slipped out of Mike's mouth, Aria's heart had stopped cold. She was beginning to wonder whether or not tonight was a good time to mention it. With her dad acting so strange, she was afraid of the response she'd receive.

"Ezra," she said, turning and pulling a towel off the counter to wipe her hands. "Would you do me a favor and get a sweater for me? I'm feeling kind of cool."

"I can turn the air down if you want," he offered, still scooping pieces of pie into bowls. Aria looked at him, her head cocked and her eyes a little wider than usual. Now was _not_ the time to for him to have a hard time picking up on what she was trying to say.

"I don't want to make everyone else warm," she said, her voice a little lower. She tried to convey what wasn't being said through her eyes.

"Oh," he stopped scooping and put down the serving spoon. "Oh…." She watched as realization dawned on him. This wasn't about the sweater or about the temperature inside the apartment. "Sure, do you want that one that's upstairs?"

Aria had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Yes," she said. "That'd be great." Ella conveniently chose this moment to turn and walk a coffee and piece of pie over to her husband at the table. Aria mouthed to Ezra, _"I need to talk to you."_

Ezra nodded and walked off toward the stairs, heading up to their bedroom "in search of her sweater" while Aria moved over to get a piece of pie for herself, counting to fifty before attempting to sneak away as well.

At one point in time, they had been very practiced in spacing out their departures.

Just as she'd sat her bowl down and was about to make small talk with her family in hopes of not making anything too obvious, Ezra called down the stairs, "Aria, I'm not seeing it up here."

Obviously, it had been some time since they'd needed to sneak around.

Aria looked to Mike, knowing he'd be a safe choice. "I love him but he's hopeless," she said.

Mike knew something was up as he watched his sister walk up the stairs. As he watched her retreat, he noticed for the first time that she was carrying herself a little differently. He had his suspicions… judging by the way her body had tensed when they were talking about her past relationship with Fitz, he'd started to wonder if something specific was going on. The way she and Ezra had been interacting with Ella and Byron all night and the fact that they had all been invited over for dinner was a clear sign that _something_ was going on. He just wasn't exactly sure what.

He figured they'd all be let in on the secret before the evening was over. There was no need for both of them to be looking for her sweater upstairs. Especially when Aria had clearly been working up a sweat all through dinner.

When Ella made idle conversation, filling the silence that Aria had left them with, Mike let her, encouraging the chitchat as much as he could. Ezra was good for Aria and he'd be damned if he was going to let his parents come between them again. Mike and Aria had their differences, but when it came down to it, they always had each others backs.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom upstairs, Aria was pacing with one hand on her head and the other hand tucked along the underside of her small belly. She was anxious as fuck and she had no idea how she was going to make it through the rest of the evening without getting sick every five minutes.

Ezra was watching her from his seat on their bed, a boyish grin plastered on his face.

"Why do you look so calm?" Aria asked, stopping mid-pace.

"You're gorgeous, and I'm reveling in the moment," he said. "I am in love with the fact that you're starting to show." He leaned back on the bed and raked his hand through his hair. He was completely smitten with the picture of perfection in front of him.

Aria moved her hand to smooth over the material of her shirt. She'd been worried about what to wear for the past month. Up until the eighth week or so, she hadn't had to worry much, as her small frame hadn't taken on much of a change. However, due to being small, that hadn't lasted long. Practically the second she entered the final month of her first trimester, her belly had started taking up more space in every direction. The pants she was wearing at this moment were the last pair that fit comfortably – aside from sweatpants, but Aria was determined not to let her sense of style fall by the wayside just because she was pregnant. Soon she would need to actually buy maternity clothes, something she was incredibly excited for, she just wanted a few specific people to know about the baby before she made that next step.

"Do you think they've noticed?" she asked.

"If they have, does it really matter?" Ezra asked.

Aria shot him a look and he held up both his hands in defense.

"That was the wrong thing to say," he said, retracting his words as fast as he could. "I just meant, we're going to tell them tonight anyway, so if they've figured it out by now, what does it really hurt."

"It hurts because we were supposed to tell them before they figured it out on their own. They shouldn't have to find out they're going to be grandparents because my stomach has expanded an inch a day."

"It is not expanding an inch a day," he said calmly. He got up from the bed and walked over, pulling both of her hands in his own, and draping her arms over his shoulders. "Look at me. You are gorgeous. You have never been more beautiful than you are right now, and I am confident that I will be able to say that with sincerity every day from now until forever, pregnant or not. So stop worrying about your body." He reached a hand down and placed it over her navel. "You're making room for something very precious, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know," she said, "I'm not ashamed of anything." She took both of her hands and placed them over Ezra's, holding it there.

"We should get back down there. They're going to think we got distracted," he said, joking.

"They wouldn't think that," Aria said, giving him a surprised look. "You have to admit, we are a lot more well behaved now than we were when we were sneaking around while I was in high school," she offered, teasing him.

"Yeah?" Ezra let out a burst of laughter. "Try convincing them of that when we clue them in to this little peanut." He dipped his head down and captured Aria's lips in a chaste kiss. Before completely pulling away, he looked into her eyes and whispered so that his breath tickled the skin of her lip, "this is a good thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Aria knew the meaning of his words were two-fold. They were a good thing. Their baby was a good thing.

He pulled away and sunk down so that he was crouching in front of her. He smoothed back the black material of her shirt so that it was tight against the gentle bulge that was their baby, and he placed a tender kiss in the center.

"Mommy and Daddy love you, baby," he whispered against her, his lips still touching the material of her shirt, "and so will Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Mike."

Aria laughed quietly, her fingers now running through Ezra's dark hair.

"Thank you," she said.

He looked up to meet her eyes and smiled a little crooked grin, his hands still cupping the sides of her belly.

"Of course."

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I think this one was a little longer... I'll try to update soon, though I want to write the fourth chapter before posting the third, so it might not be as quick an update as this was. Please leave a review! I love knowing what you think. Thanks to everyone who's been sticking with me over the past few weeks as I've worked my way up to this multi-chapter monstrosity. I hope that I don't disappoint Lol (and by that I mean, I hope that I don't lose steam before this is completed! Nobody wants that...).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: In light of recent events (if you watched Tuesday night's episode, you know what I mean) I decided to post earlier than I had originally planned. Just know that this means it might be a little longer between now and the next update. But also know that it is coming.**

 **I hope you enjoy this. I think you will... but I guess we'll see.  
**

* * *

Ezra walked through the entrance first, followed closely by Aria, who was holding his hand and keeping her body slightly behind his frame. They walked into the kitchen quietly and Aria could feel the awkwardness thick in the air as conversation stopped mid-sentence.

"Everything okay?" Ella asked. She put her spoon down, her body frozen as she waited for their response.

Byron shifted in his chair, a look of confusion crossing his face as he took in the scene before him. "I thought you were cold, Aria," he said.

Aria's face flushed at Byron's words. He might not have been saying much all night, but he had been watching and listening.

"Mom, Dad, Mike," she trailed off. "We, Ezra and I, we have something we want to tell you."

Ezra squeezed Aria's hand and pulled it across his back so that she was holding his waist. He moved his hand up to her shoulders and pulled her into his side.

As he stood and watched the table, he took in the whole scene. The sun had set a while ago, leaving the apartment in a hazy, evening glow. The fixture overhead cast a good amount of light on the table, but there were still shadows, which naturally seemed to make the faces of the people before him slightly more intimidating. Mike looked excited to hear what they had to say, and Ella looked reluctantly optimistic. He could tell that they both hoped for the best, and they too had known something was coming when they'd been invited over for dinner.

"Byron, Ella," Ezra cut in. He felt Aria relax beside him. "Aria and I could not be more excited about this, so we really hope that you're able to be excited for us. I know that it's not perfect timing, but… we've always been a little unconventional." He looked down and met her eyes; she nodded with a soft smile. Still looking at her, he asked, "should I tell them, or would you like the honor?"

Aria turned and slid her arm out from around Ezra's waist. Smoothing over the material of her shirt, this time so that it would cling to her frame rather than hang loosely in front of her, she made eye contact with Ella and gave her a huge smile.

"We're… having a baby," she said.

Ella let out a gasp of excitement, her hands barely covering the smile that was now shooting across her face. Byron had accidentally dropped his spoon at the announcement, but his face wasn't registering any form of upset – something that gave an immense sense of relief to Ari and Ezra alike.

Aria felt Ezra smooth a hand over her hair and then he pulled her head closer to him, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. She could feel the smile on his lips.

"Congratulations," Ella gushed, pushing out from the table and enveloping her daughter in a hug. She leaned back and held Aria's face in her hands, admiring her daughter while letting reality sink in.

Mike and Byron were both standing now as well, and Aria let out a shaky breath as Byron stuck out his hand toward Ezra.

"Congratulations," he said. His voice was carrying something that Aria couldn't quite place, but the words he spoke seemed heartfelt enough for the time being. "You're going to be a great father."

"Thank you, Byron," Ezra said with sincerity. "I really appreciate it. That means more to me than you could ever know."

"Well, I mean every word," Byron said. He stood back and moved over to give Aria a hug.

"Congratulations, sweet heart," he said, pulling her into his embrace. Aria relaxed into his hold, and for the first time since she could remember, genuinely felt her father's approval. He was a quiet man, and his temper often got the best of him. He and Aria were alike that way.

"I've been so worried about telling you, Dad," she whispered, holding onto his shoulders. "I'm sorry about the timing. I know it'd be better if we were already married and settled down, but we're so excited." She pulled away and Byron held her at arms length. He took in the smile that had completely taken over her face.

"I'm sorry if I've been acting distant lately," he said. "I… I wasn't sure what we were walking into tonight. I just don't want you to miss out on all that life has to offer."

"I'm not, Dad," Aria said with conviction. She looked past Byron at Ezra who was now in a very tender embrace with her mom, a huge grin plastered across his face. Aria looked back to Byron. "I can tell you without any hesitation that this is what I want and that this is not going to hold me back from anything else."

At hearing her words, Ezra joined the private conversation that had been taking place beside him.

"I refuse to let this keep her from having the life she wants – the one she's envisioned. None of this is going to hold us back. We're going to make it through this, together." He gave Aria a gentle smile before turning his gaze to Byron. "I'm going to take care of her, I promise."

"I know you will," Byron said, with sadness in his voice.

Byron stood for a moment more, staring at his daughter. As if no time had passed, she was suddenly three again, running up to him with a piece of crayon-covered paper, the very depiction of beauty and happiness, and his heart was overflowing with pride. In the same breath, she was six with a scraped knee, crying into his shoulder as he held her, twelve with a broken heart, fifteen and struggling with the loss of a close friend… It occurred to him, not for the first time, that his time of being the strong hold in her life was coming to an end.

Yes, he had given Ezra his blessing and he knew that his baby girl was getting married. But seeing her now, knowing that she was going to be a mother herself, it suddenly made Byron realize just how much she had grown up, and just how much Ezra would be stepping into his own shoes, taking over all the responsibility of being there for Aria.

He'd been wondering these past few months if he'd done a good enough job of being a father to her, and he was embarrassed to admit that the answer might not be as good as he hoped, and that he'd been taking this realization out, not only on Ezra, but on his daughter as well.

Byron looked to Ezra, his voice catching in his throat before he even began to speak. "She's all yours now," he said, the words an extension of his prior response.

"How does this family move from being on pins and needles one moment, to complete water works the next," Mike commented.

Aria laughed, grateful to her dad for the unexpected acceptance, and grateful for her brother, for doing exactly what she'd hoped in breaking the tension.

"Trust me," she said to Byron. "Ezra is not going to let me forget about my ambitions and he's been nothing but supportive."

"I just can't believe it," Ella said with a smile. "How far along are you?" She reached out and placed a hand at Aria's waist, the movement tentative, but motherly. "Oh, I am just so excited for both of you." She looked over to her husband. "Bryon, we're going to be grandparents," she said. "I don't feel old enough."

"At least she waited until she was out of high school," Mike said with a laugh.

Aria swatted at his arm. "Hey, here I thought you were going to be the easiest one to tell, and you're over here cracking jokes."

"Funny jokes," he said.

"Not funny jokes," Aria shot back with an angry expression that was extremely for show.

"Face it, that was a little funny," Mike said, looking to Ezra.

Ezra's face dropped a little, paling at Mike's comedic attempt. Byron looked between the two and cut in.

"Watch it, Mike," he said.

"We're in a good place, let's not dredge up the past," Ella threw in, trying to dissipate any potential for awkward tension.

"All right, all jokes aside, you guys are going to be the best parents ever. I'm really excited for both of you," Mike said.

"Thank you," Aria said with sincerity. She moved her hand to her belly, where she'd be itching (quite literally) to place it all evening. Having a protective hand over her baby had become a source of extreme comfort for her. Even if it didn't really _do_ anything. "I'm about thirteen weeks…" she said, looking to Ezra for confirmation. "The doctor estimated a little less than that, but I'm positive it's closer to thirteen."

Mike choked on the drink of water he'd just taken. Ezra slapped him on the back. Aria shot Ezra a look of shock, which quickly turned to a look that promised he was in for it later.

By some miracle, Byron and Ella seemed pointedly aloof. Whether or not they truly hadn't picked up on the implications of Mike's cough, or had simply chosen to ignore it, Aria wasn't sure, but she was thankful nonetheless. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss "extracurricular activities" with her parents and younger brother.

"It will be challenging at first, but you'll both fall into parenting faster than you'd think. This is a big time for you." Ella gave her daughter one more smile before moving into to hug her again.

They all sat and talked for another hour or so. Ezra was still hesitant to accept the fact that Byron's mood had changed so quickly. He wondered if there was something else eating at him. He seemed relieved, but if all he'd been worried about was Aria not getting to experience things, why hadn't he said that earlier on? Ezra had thought that they were finally moving back to that place where they could talk to one another as equals... at least as friends, if not family.

Aria was having the same thoughts, but she decided she didn't care about the reason behind her dad's behavior at the moment. He tended to over complicate things, but she knew from experience: if he had a real problem with something, he'd make that problem known. All she cared about was that she'd finally told her parents about the baby, and at the moment, it didn't look like anyone would be leaving with a black eye or broken bone. In her book, that was an evening well spent.

When it came time for Ella and Byron to go, Mike gathered his things as well.

While Aria was packing up some of the leftovers and a few pieces of pie for Ella to take home, Ezra pulled Byron aside.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?" Ezra asked, motioning for Byron to join him in the other room.

"Sure," Byron said.

The two made their way over to a secluded corner where it'd be less likely for Ella or Aria to overhear them. Ezra gave Mike a reassuring nod that he hoped said, " _yes, everything is good_."

Ezra took a deep breath.

"Listen," he started. He let his weight balance to one side and braced his hands in front of him, his fingertips pressing against each other. The pressure was the only thing keeping him grounded as his nerves began to work their way over his body. He wondered if the day would ever come where he'd _not_ be nervous to talk to Byron one on one. "I just want to make sure, before you leave tonight, that there are no hard feelings. I meant it when I asked for your blessing, and I mean in now, Byron… I love your daughter. That's not going to change. Since day one, I have tried to put her needs first. I'm not going to let that change. The two of them…" he pushed a hand through his hair and looked over Byron's shoulder at where Aria was talking to her mom, alight with a peace he'd not seen in weeks. "She and our child are the only things that matter to me. Their happiness, their health, their well-being. I hope you know that."

"I do," Byron said. He took in the young man before him and weighed how vocal he should be about the things that had been running through his head that evening. Ezra was going to be his son in a few months, and already, he was the father of his grandchild. He deserved to be spoken to candidly. "I'm sorry if I've made you feel on edge. I… I've been having a harder time than I expected, letting her go. It has nothing to do with you."

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked, skeptical of what he was being told. For a moment he wished he could retract the snappiness in his voice, but as the space between them continued, he felt that what was said was necessary for progress. Byron opened and closed his mouth once before actually speaking.

"Yes. I think after all these years we should be able to put the past behind us, don't you?"

"I'd like to," Ezra said. "I don't want to forget all the good that came from those years, but I'd like to think we can move past it."

"I'd like that too." Byron stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure what else to say, while at the same time, knowing exactly what should be said. He took in a deep breath. "She's my baby girl, Ezra. Some day, possibly quite soon, you'll know exactly what I mean."

"I think I already do," Ezra said, eyes still on Aria. "I can't imagine how I'd react if our baby had to go through half the things Aria has. And I know... I know I've been part of the trouble."

"No," Byron said, cutting him off. "No, Ezra, you've been just about the only thing helping her make it through. In many ways, you were there for her when her mother and I weren't, and for that, I'm grateful."

"Byron," Ella called from the kitchen. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Byron said, turning to look at his wife.

He turned back to Ezra, his hands on his hips. He jutted one out in front of him, offering a handshake. "I trust you know I'll let you know if I think you're not doing the job justice."

Ezra reached out and met Byron with an equally tight grip. "I'd expect nothing less," he said with a smile. "But I promise you, she's in good hands."

"I know," Byron said, pulling Ezra into a hug.

Outwardly, Ezra's mood had brightened. Byron was small, and seemed harmless; their conversation had been incredibly freeing. But, regardless of size or stature, Byron still scared the shit out of Ezra.

Only minutes passed before all three of the Montgomery's had walked out the door, leaving Aria and Ezra alone in the now too-quiet apartment.

Aria sighed, closing the door behind her with a click of the lock. She slid the chain into place and rested her head against the cool door.

"I thought that went fairly well," Ezra said from somewhere behind her. "How do you feel?"

Aria turned so that it was the back of her head resting against the door rather than her forehead.

"I feel exhausted," she said. "Completely drained of all energy."

"You haven't gotten sick in…" Ezra looked over to the clock on the oven, "almost two hours. That's a new record I think."

"That's the miracle of the second trimester," she said, pushing off the door and making her way over to Ezra. "Or maybe that's the miracle of having the truth out in the open." She hooked her arms around his neck and leaned back so that the small jut of her belly was pressing into his waist. Her shoulders were pulled back in a way that made looking at him a little easier.

"What are you doing?" he said, suspiciously.

"Nothing," Aria said. Her eyes narrowed, silently flirting with him. "Trying to boost my energy level so we can pick up where we left off."

Before she could say another word, Ezra leaned down and pulled her to him at the waist, snaking his hand up her back so that it was pressed firmly between her shoulder blades. He twisted her with fervor so that she was pinned between him and the counter and pushed himself into her. The light moan of gratification that escaped her lips sent warmth through his veins.

Aria leaned into the kiss, the weight of having told her family after weeks of agonizing over it gave her a new sense of freedom. Plus, having had to cut their make out session short earlier had her a little pent up all through dinner. Even though she was dead tired, her body still ached for Ezra's touch. She wasn't sure that the pregnancy hormones were even to blame. This was simply good, old fashioned longing.

Exactly the kind of longing that had gotten them into their current situation.

Ezra let his hands roam over Aria's body, appreciating every curve. He was finding it increasingly hard to keep from taking her right there on the kitchen floor. He let his hands drift down to her waist, and then let them go further. Cupping her thighs, he hoisted her up and placed her on top of the counter.

"I love you," he said as he leaned in to give her neck attention. His voice was husky, and the stubble on his jaw was rough.

There was no gentleness about the way he was kissing her now. She threw her head back and to the side, exposing her neck to him, silently begging him to keep going. With her feeling sick so often, it had been a while since they'd really gone at it like this and Ezra was feeling the need to take her more and more with each second that ticked by.

He let his fingers find the hem of her shirt, and swiftly pulled it over her head, diving right back in to give her chest attention as soon as the offending article was on the floor.

"Ezra," Aria breathed, her voice catching as he began to suck on the sensitive spot above her collarbone. She was tugging at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against her own. "Ezra," she tried again.

"Hmm?" He wasn't really listening. His hands were lovingly moving all over her back and waist, feeling every inch of her as he made a small bruise on her collarbone.

"Lift your arms," she said. Now Aria's voice had grown husky, dry with euphoria, and Ezra felt a tug behind his navel. He did as he was told – pulling the shirt over his head and tossing it with hers on the floor. While he was detached from her, he went a step further and undid the button of her pants, holding eye contact with her the whole time. He pulled the material apart, making as much room in the waist as he could before moving forward between her legs again and holding on to her back.

"God, that feels so much better," she said with a sigh of relief. "I need to go shopping." She leaned in and began to kiss his ear, the space behind it, a trail down his neck…

"Hold on," he said, lifting her off the counter slightly with one arm, bracing her body against his own. With the other hand, he tugged at the pant material, being the furthest thing from careful as he pulled them from her body. When she was down to just her underwear, he dove back in with full force.

He let his hands roam over her thighs, feeling her smooth skin as he trailed down her leg. He cupped his hands behind her knees, bringing her forward so that she was at the very edge, and as close to him as possible. She ached to feel the hardness between his legs but their positioning was off, just barely. All this did was egg her on. They had found over time that the build up, the foreplay, was almost just as gratifying for Aria as the actual contact; especially since she'd gotten pregnant.

She hated to think about how that had played a role in their whole student-teacher escapade. Whatever. None of that mattered right now.

Aria loved the way he felt against her – even if the only contact she got was his hand on her back. There wasn't anything like it.

Naturally, as he peppered kisses across her skin, her body felt like it was on fire.

Sensing that what he was doing was working, Ezra decided to be a little bolder. They'd been fairly tame in the past, but the counter always seemed to bring new passion to their romance, in one way or another. Whether it was due to the extra height it gave her, or to the fact that it gave a nod to their first encounter, he wasn't sure. But he _was_ fairly certain that this counter had been the culprit in making the baby Aria was currently carrying.

He loved it. It was appropriate for their relationship that the first baby they conceived together would be instigated by a counter top.

With each breathy moan that escaped Aria's throat, Ezra inched his way further down her body.

Aria was now painfully pent up and Ezra knew it. He smiled as he let his mouth move lower on her waist. He took one finger and let is trail beneath the elastic of her underwear, pulling it back at the waist just a little, so that he could plant kisses in its wake. He loved the way her body was changing to make room for the life growing inside, and he loved even more knowing that he had helped create that life. In many ways, he felt more tied to her now than he would if they'd simply gotten married. Literally sharing a life with someone had the power to change how you related to them.

Gently, he tugged down the material, until she was nothing but skin on the counter. Her hands dove into his hair the second his mouth reattached to her skin.

"Ezra," she breathed heavily. "Please."

"Be patient," he said against her. Her breath hitched at the vibration of his voice and he chose that moment to redirect his attention. He took her legs again and wrapped them around his waist once more, just about bringing her off the counter.

He kissed her hungrily. Aria's hands were roaming all over this shoulders. He moved from kissing her lips to the sensitive spot on her neck, staying there as she began to breathe heavier and heavier. She arched her back into him and he let his hands trail down to her hips.

"Oh, god, Ezra," she whispered.

He laughed a little into her.

At feeling his smile against her skin, she pulled back and placed each of her hands on his chest, giving him the gentlest of pushes backward. She wanted to look at him in the hazy glow of what was finally, truly _their_ kitchen.

He'd aged over the years. He had a little bit of grey on the sides. As Aria took this in and felt her heart swell at the thought of it, she knew that in some way, the way they were together now was different from how they'd been together when they were younger. She didn't spend long comparing the two times, but the severity of what they were to each other now made this all the more special.

And all the more gratifying.

Ezra could see in Aria's eyes that this was going to be a long night, a good night, and the first of many. They had only been kissing for maybe ten minutes and already, their bodies were close to spent, covered in sweat, and sticky with eagerness. Ezra leaned down and planted light kisses across her skin, putting the hunger in his heart off until they were behind a closed door. Not that he couldn't take her on the counter… but something made him feel like tonight, she deserved a little more. Her arms were loose around his neck and she was smiling with a lazy look about her.

"You're beautiful," he said between kisses.

"You're pretty beautiful yourself," she said, pushing his hair back. She leaned in and let her teeth rake the edge of his ear as she whispered, "take me to bed?"

"I'd be happy to," he replied.

With that, Ezra picked Aria up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist a little tighter, and carried her up to their bedroom. All of her clothes were still scattered on the floor and there were still plenty of dishes to be cleaned up from dinner, but that could wait.

Aria thought she might have more than one round in her somewhere, and she was willing to bet that, with the right coaxing, Ezra could make it through a few rounds as well.

The kitchen could wait until morning, and Aria made that clear as she flipped off the switch on their way out of the room.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hmm... so this was a little bit different for me :) I'll start by saying: that's about as explicit as I'll get. There might be more scenes like it down the road (wink, wink) but I doubt they'll get more graphic than that. Hopefully it's a happy medium. I'm not a smut writer, but I do like it to get a little steamy now and then, if the situation lends itself.**

 **What did you think of Byron? How do you feel about Ezra and Mike being friends?**

 **What are some things you'd like to see in future chapters? Remember that from here on out, I'll be writing as I go... so be patient and leave a review! Even if you don't have much to say, it's nice knowing that you enjoyed it enough to say so.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Each day that passed meant that Aria was growing more and more uncomfortable squeezing into clothes that were too tight. She loved wearing Ezra's clothes, but what once felt sweet and intimate started to lose its luster when it became a necessity. The pants she'd worn just a few days ago at dinner with her parents were now almost impossible to close. Thankfully, the weather had turned and she'd been able to comfortably hide beneath one of Ezra's Hollis crew necks… but she was supposed to meet the girls for dinner next week and she'd need to have something more presentable to wear. Eventually someone was going to start asking questions. It simply wasn't like Aria to not look… at least semi put together.

It was a miracle no one had said anything yet.

Now, as Aria walked through a mall just outside of Philly with Ella close on her heels, she sported said too-tight pants and a very cozy, very spacious sweater. She'd worn a long necklace that knotted in the front in hopes of detracting from the way the knit hung around her midsection. When she'd looked in the mirror before leaving the house, it had been a tossup as to whether or not that trick really achieved that goal.

Ezra swore she looked more beautiful than ever.

Aria told him that was the baby-goggles talking.

Ella and Aria were both exhausted after long day of _trying_ to shop - Ella exhausted from all the stores they'd had to visit, Aria from trying on dress after shirt after pant, all to no avail. She had picky taste, but somewhere around the fourth or fifth store, she'd had to make the decision to let some stylistic choices go if it meant finding something that just _fit_. Up to this point, they hadn't been very successful in their searching and Aria was feeling more discouraged than ever.

As Aria approached the large glass storefront, she tried to hold on to a tiny shred of hope. Even if she didn't find something _perfect_ she would settle for _something_. With a begrudging sigh, she reached out and pulled on the large wooden handle.

"This is the last store here that's going to carry maternity clothes, Aria," Ella said, coming up behind her daughter and taking the door from her before making her way inside as well. "If you can't find anything you like, you might just have to order some things online."

"I know," Aria said curtly, making her way into the first rack of clothes, letting her hands graze over a few of the garments. "I don't have the luxury of looking around anymore. I waited too long. I don't want to buy clothes that won't fit me but… I kind of need something to wear now. These pants are being held together with a hairband, and I've officially grown out of my last dress."

"Honey, you're still so tiny. Even if you get a size too big, you'll fit into it eventually."

"It's not really that the clothes haven't _fit_ , they're just so… mom-looking."

"I'm going to try not to take that as an insult. Just because it's not leopard print or studded doesn't mean it's not cute. I'm actually really impressed with the selection… I had this horrid collared dress that had anchors all over it… absolutely no structure; it wasn't fitted _anywhere_. You know, you could always have Hanna measure you… I'm sure she'd be able to help you find the right size, or tweak a few pieces so that they're more what you're looking for."

"Well, that would require Hanna knowing I'm pregnant," Aria cut back.

Ella's mouth dropped open in confusion. "You mean you still haven't told her? Have you told Spencer? Emily? Anyone? I thought you all were going out to dinner on Friday."

"No…" Aria said, avoiding Ella's gaze. "We're going out next Friday, not this Friday, and… I'll tell them when I'm ready."

Aria stood and waited for the third degree she figured would follow… but Ella didn't say anything. She had already turned to look more closely at a few tops, pulling them out one at a time to closely inspect the print.

Ella could feel Aria's eyes on her. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing," Aria said. She turned and gave her attention to the clothes as well. Just as their conversation died down for the moment, a sales assistant came over and greeted them.

"Are you ladies finding everything okay today? Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

"We're fine, thank you," Aria said, before Ella had the chance to jump in and ask for help.

"Well let me know if you need a fitting room, or if there's anything I can do."

"Thank you," Aria said.

Ella let the sleeve that had been in her hand fall back against the rack. "You should let her help you. What's going on with you today? You've been in a sour mood since I picked you up."

"It's nothing," Aria said. She turned her back and busied herself at a new rack. "And I know how to shop, I don't need someone telling me what to buy."

"You're not acting like it's nothing, and I know you're not usually that rude to people. What's going on?"

Aria forced herself to relax. "Mom, I'm fine. Really. I wasn't meaning to be rude… I'll… ask her for a fitting room I a minute and I'll make sure I'm extra nice."

"Aria, you know you can talk to me. I'm your mom. I want to be here for you. Did something happen with Ezra? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nothing happened with Ezra, Mom, _really_. We're great - better than great. It has nothing to do with him."

"So then what does it have to do with?" Ella's voice was gentle, motherly. Aria wasn't in the mood for a heart-to-heart, but as she thought about what had been bothering her, and as she listened to Ella's attempt at being there for her, she tried to force the words from her mouth. After all, not being able to talk to anyone was kind of at the heart of the matter.

"It's just..." She turned around, her hands playing with the strap of her purse. Her eyes were downcast, away from Ella's observant gaze, but at the last minute, they darted up making sharp contact. "It's just hard going through this without them. We've been through so much together… but I don't want to burden them with it."

"Honey... you don't have to go through this alone, and they are not going to think this is a burden, why would you think that?" Ella said. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"I don't know," she said, defensively. "What are they going to say? What are they going to think? Mom, I'm only twenty-three. I just graduated, I've hardly had a full time job for a year, and let's face it, I've done a decently good job of screwing that up… Ezra and I have been through our fair share of curveballs, but this… this pretty much tops it all."

"I don't think this tops dating your teacher," Ella said, her voice low – an attempt at humor that was lost on Aria. "I thought you and Ezra were excited about this," Ella said. She felt a wave of ease wash over her at finally hearing what Aria had been bottling up but with it came a bit of sadness. She didn't want to see her baby unhappy.

"No, no, we are," Aria said, "it's just that… once I tell the girls, it's real. You know? We don't get to live in this happy little bubble anymore. Spencer is going to tell me I should have been more careful… Hanna's going to try and dress me up like I'm a doll," she stared past Ella and let a bitter chortle come out of her chest, "and that is a game I'm _really_ not interested in playing." She subconsciously reached down and began to scratch a little at the waistline of her pants. Ella took notice of the small movement.

"Ezra and I decided to wait until after the first trimester to tell anyone, just to, you know… there have been a lot of things that have happened in the past, with Alison and Charlotte and… we just wanted to make sure everything was progressing as it should be. But... it sort of feels like I've waited too long now. I hadn't given much thought to what came after waiting. I don't want them to be offended I didn't tell them right away." She looked out across the store. "Clearly I wasn't even prepared enough to have bought clothes that would fit. I'm going to be horrible at this."

Ella was silent as she watched Aria struggle through everything she'd been bottling up. She was proud of how strong she was being.

"Honey," Ella said sweetly, reaching out and bringing her daughter into a hug. "You are doing a great job. The girls are going to be so happy for you. They love you, and they want to support you. It's not going to matter that they weren't the first to know."

Aria reciprocated Ella's gesture before pulling back. "You don't think so?"

"No; and either way, you need them."

"Yeah, I know, but I have you," Aria said, wrinkling her nose a little, teasing Ella.

"Well, yes, you do, but there are some things you'll want to discuss with your friends that I… let's just say, I'm not the type of mother who cares to discuss certain topics with her daughter. Especially when they involve her former teacher."

"Mom!" Aria exclaimed, hitting her mom on the arm in jest. "You did _not_ just insinuate what I think you did."

Ella turned and busied herself with the clothes rack again, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about…" she said.

Aria scoffed. If that's how she wanted to be, two could play that game. She turned and picked up a garment before leaning in to her mother's side and dropping her voice and octave.

"For your information, Ezra keeps me very satisfied," Aria said.

Ella's face turned a thousand different shades of red and Aria raised her eyebrows when Ella turned to face her, challenging.

"That is enough out of you," she said. She held out a shirt and a dress. "Go, try these on before I die of embarrassment."

Aria took the two hangers from her mom, but before she left to find the sales assistant again, she gave Ella a sardonic look. "I mean, honestly… how did you think I got pregnant?"

"Now!" Ella said with a smile and a laugh.

When Aria came out of the fitting room, she was wearing a very flattering red dress. The neckline cut down to show off her new-found cleavage and the silhouette of the dress cut in a way that accentuated the small bump that had been fairly well hidden up until this point. Ella was sitting patiently on a bench just outside the door, ready to see how everything fit. When Aria had gone to ask for a room, Ella cut in and informed the sales woman a little of what they were looking for. After a few minutes, the three of them had been able to pull together a good selection, and Aria was finally starting to feel like she might be able to embrace this aspect of being pregnant.

"What do you think?" she said, walking over to the full length mirror, turning this way and that so that she could see if from every angle.

"It looks beautiful," Ella said. "Do you like it?"

Aria ran a hand over the protrusion at her waistline. "I'm like, really pregnant," she said.

Ella laughed. She made eye contact with Aria through the mirror and they held each other's gaze, Aria's hands framing where her child was growing.

"Just wait until you hit the seven month mark. That's where things start to catch up with you. You'll look bigger every day."

"Thanks, Mom," Aria said sarcastically.

"Oh, stop, it's a good thing. You're beautiful," Ella said. "Motherhood suits you. Really."

Aria bit her lip and looked down. She was holding back a smile.

"What?" Ella asked.

"Ezra told me that about a month after we found out."

Aria bit her lip and moved her hands, letting them trail over the back of the dress before turning a few more times and heading back toward the changing stall. She reached for the door and leaned on it for a moment, tapping her toe behind her as she looked on at Ella. She smiled as the memory rushed back to the forefront of her mind and she could feel her skin tinge with self consciousness. "I was supposed to be working on edits for the book, but instead I was reading A Little Princess… by myself… at two in the morning. Outloud."

"He loves you," Ella said.

"I know." Aria was nodding, her eyes closed, and a smile on her face.

"He's going to be a really great dad," Ella said.

"I know," she said, this time shaking her head. A few tears started to well up in her eyes; she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips. She let out a breathy laugh. "I am so happy."

"I'm glad," Ella said. "You deserve to be happy." They let a moment pass between them before Ella cleared her throat and made a shewing gesture with her hand. "All right, you, try something else on for me."

Aria pushed off the door and leaned down, planting a kiss on Ella's cheek. "I love you, Momma," she said.

"I love you too, sweetie," Ella said. Aria closed the door behind her, and as she did, she just barely missed Ella brushing a tear from her cheek.

Not a half hour later, Aria was feeling more confident and about ten times more relieved than she had been before they'd left that morning. She had a bag in either hand and was already wearing a new pair of leggings. The extra space they allowed made an enormous difference. She was now convinced half of her bad mood could be chalked up to a side effect of uncomfortable clothing. If she'd realized how much _better_ she'd feel wearing an actual pair of maternity pants rather than just Ezra's old sweats, she might have made the shopping trip earlier on.

Aria and Ella were passing through the food court on their way to the car when it hit her. "Oh, mom," she said, stopping in the middle of the walkway.

"What?" Ella said, concern in her voice.

"Do you smell that?"

"No…" Ella was looking skeptically at her daughter. "Are you hungry? We ate an hour ago."

Aria pursed her lips and cocked her head. Clearly, they would be going nowhere until she figured out what the smell was.

"Fair enough," Ella said, resigning herself to another half hour of being at the mall. "I guess it's been a while since I was pregnant."

"Yeah, I can't leave until I know what that is. I think it's…" she turned, scanning the names of each restaurant as she did so. "Pea King?" she said, with question.

"Orange chicken," Ella said. "Figures. I couldn't get enough when I was pregnant with you."

"Oh my god, that's it," Aria said, already on her way over to the counter. "Ezra is going to die. This is funny."

"I wonder how common this is..." Ella started, making small talk as she followed behind Aria. "For women to crave the same things their mom's did when they were pregnant. God, I loved fried green tomatoes when I was pregnant with Mike." She was looking wistfully over the menu now.

"Yeah, not really why I thought it was funny," Aria said, not really listening to what her mom was saying. She gave her order to the man at the counter before turning back to Ella. "Ezra and I used to get Chinese takeout every Saturday my junior year. I know I said I was vegan, but I always stole some of his orange chicken when he wasn't looking."

Ella looked down her nose. "Excuse me?" she said.

"Yeah, he definitely knew I was stealing it," she said. She stopped for a moment, looking at Ella's face with boredom. "Oh, stop, you knew it was happening."

"After the fact," Ella said, displeased. "You could have gotten in so much trouble. Do you realize that?"

They moved down the line, and Aria paid at the register, eagerly exchanging a few bills for a styrofoam box of heaven.

"God, this smells good," she said, ignoring Ella's comments.

"Exactly how often were you over at his apartment?"

Aria mimicked the look Ella had given her, narrowing her eyes, fully knowing that Ella did not _really_ want to know the answer to that question.

"Enough that you should be thankful this," she pointed toward her belly, "is happening now and not while I was underage. Do you really want to talk about this?"

"See, this is why you need to tell your friends."

"That's what I thought," Aria said. She took a seat at a booth and Ella joined her.

The pair sat and shared the orange chicken - Ella was impressed that Aria wasn't scarfing the whole thing down by herself, but Aria swore up and down that she wasn't to that point yet. Ella could see in her eyes that she was practicing restraint though. In all honesty, she was proud of her for making the attempt, even if she knew it wouldn't last long. Ella gave it another two weeks before sharing was nothing more than a grand idea only referenced as an afterthought.

Just as Aria finished up the last bite, making sure to roll the last piece of sticky orange chicken in the remnants of white rice before popping into her mouth, a familiar face passed in front of their booth, just a few feet away. Aria's eyes went wide.

"Don't turn around, whatever you do," she said, ducking her head in an effort to stay out of sight. "I cannot believe this. We went all the way to Philly and then some, just so this wouldn't happen!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Ella questioned, leaning forward a little, ducking her head as well, though for what reason, she had no idea.

"It's Emily," Aria said, "and I don't want her to find me like this."

Ella sat back up. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Aria."

"What? You really want her to find out I'm pregnant because I have orange sauce all over my face and I'm sporting a new pair of maternity pants?"

"It's going to happen at some point. I'll be surprised, if they haven't already put everything together on their own. Honey, you look pregnant. They have to know."

"You're giving them too much credit. They have too many other things going on to really pay attention to anything else." Aria was now quickly gathering the box and her napkins while Emily's back was to them. She was standing in line at a pizza place, chatting to someone else who looked… vaguely familiar as well. She was tall, blonde, had a very earthy style about her..."Oh, shit," Aria said. "This is just perfect. She's with Sabrina."

Aria leaned back in the booth, the garbage in front of her forgotten.

"Who's Sabrina?" Ella asked.

"You know who Sabrina is. She works for Ezra… manages The Brew?"

Ella turned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse without getting caught. Aria reached out and grabbed Ella's wrist, forcing her attention back on her daughter. "Mom, don't, really. I don't want either of them to see us."

"Aria, really." Ella was growing tired of her antics. "If you're really that concerned about it, we better get out of here while they're backs are to us. There's a trash can over there. I'll get your bags and meet you at the door."

Aria bit her lip and nodded. She was being immature about it, she knew that, but at the moment, she couldn't have cared less. She was not about to announce that she and Ezra were having a baby to Emily _and_ Sabrina, at the same time, at a food court close to three hours from home.

When she got to the glass doors, Ella was checking her watch, her arms loaded with shopping bags. Aria reached out and took a few, lightening her load. "I'm sorry," she said, as she pushed open the door for her mom. "This shouldn't have been an issue. They should already know. I don't know why I'm afraid to tell them."

Ella passed through the door. "Don't stress about it. Just make sure that you make a point to tell them before this gets out of hand." She reached out and put an arm around her daughter, pulling her in close to her side, and she placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "You're doing great. Just hang in there and remember to enjoy this time."

"Thanks, Mom," Aria said.

In the car on the way home, Aria found herself staring at the ring on her finger. She was lost in thought, drowning by all the things that had yet to be said… yet to be settled… yet to be planned. She played with the band on the underside of her hand, the solidness of it there, firmly placed against her skin giving her a great deal of comfort.

"You're being awfully quiet," Ella said from the driver's seat. "What are you thinking about?"

Aria looked over, her head leaned back against the headrest, her eyes heavy with drowsiness. "Everything," Aria said simply.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," Aria said, looking back out the window. "I just want them to be healthy."

"Good answer. Is Ezra hoping for one over the other?"

Aria let out a laugh. "He won't admit it outloud, but I think he wants a girl."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just the way he talks… the clothes he's drawn to in a story, the way he talks to my belly when he thinks I'm not awake. I can just tell."

"You know, when you were a baby, your dad would hardly put you down. I couldn't get him to let you go."

"Really?"

"Yes. He was so afraid of anything happening to you. He felt overwhelmingly responsible for your well being."

"That's sweet," Aria said.

"It was, until I couldn't get him to do anything else. It was suffocating."

At the mention of Byron, the conversation dipped a bit, both of the women settling into a quiet rhythm.

"Do you think he was being genuine the other night?" Aria asked.

"I do," Ella said. "He's been much better lately. I think it meant a lot that you didn't want to disappoint him… and I think he can see that now." Aria didn't say anything, so Ella made idle conversation to fill the silence. "So, when is your next appointment? Will you get to find out the sex soon?"

"We were actually given the option last time we went, and we decided against it. We want to be surprised. We go again next week though. Getting stuck with all those needles is torture. I'm kind of dreading it."

"Ha! Just wait until you have to actually give birth. Do you think you'll get an epidural?"

"Oh… I don't know. I haven't given it that much thought yet, to be honest. I think I'd like to have a natural birth if possible."

"Well I'm sure you can handle if you put your mind to it."

"We'll see," Aria said. "I thought I had a pretty high pain tolerance, but my body has begs to differ. My back has done nothing but try to kill me for the past month."

Ella was now turning down the main drag in Rosewood, stopping in the alley that held the entrance to the loft above The Brew.

"You just wait until you're actually carrying around some weight. You're still so tiny."

"I'm not _that_ tiny," Aria said defensively, a hand flying to her abdomen.

"Yes, you are," Ella challenged with a laugh. She reached out and tugged at Aria's sweater in the front a little so that it wasn't hanging to sight against Aria's midsection. She let out a chuckle. "There, keep it like that and I can't even tell you're carrying."

Aria fake pouted, jutting her lower lip.

"But I _want_ to look pregnant," she said.

"Yes," Ella countered, "but people need to know you're pregnant before you go throwing it in their face."

Aria stuck out her tongue and opened the passenger side door. "Whatever," she said. "Thanks for driving today. Let me know if you need help with anything at the gallery. I've got the last round of edits to finish up this week, but then the manuscript will be with the publishers and I should have some down time."

"That sounds good. Do you need help carrying anything up?"

"I should be fine. Ezra's up there, and these aren't that heavy. I'm not completely incapable of taking care of myself." She winked. "Thanks, again mom. I love you."

"I love you too. Tell Ezra I said hi - and tell him to take good care of my baby."

"I will," she said. She picked up the last pile of bags and closed the door behind her.

Ella waited, car parked beside the building until Aria was in and Ezra leaned out the door to wave goodbye. She gave a gentle wave back and as she pulled away, she felt like her heart was in her throat.

Her baby was growing up, and she was having a baby all of her own.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh, guys. I feel like this chapter was super cheesy Lol I mean... I mentioned that it was largely fluff, right? That there was no real plot to this? Because... there's no real plot to this :D Hope you're all cool with that.

As always, review and let me know what your thoughts are :) Looking forward to hearing from you.

ALSO - THAT PROPOSAL, AMMIRIGHT? 3


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter is... interesting. Things sort of escalated and I went with it. Without giving too much forewarning, I will just say, I'm trying my hardest to stay true to the show, true to the characters, and true to what I think would naturally happen, while still taking on some creative liberties and keeping the heart of the story light. Forgive me if this isn't everything you've ever wanted, and try to just have fun with it. This is a heavier chapter, but it's also longer... Hopefully at least some of you enjoy it.**

* * *

When Ezra woke up, it was to cold sheets and an empty space beside him. He moved his hand around in search for Aria's body, but it was nowhere to be found. Groggily, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed away the sleep that blurred his vision.

"Aria?" he called into the dark room.

He looked over to the clock on the nightstand. It wasn't even 4 a.m. yet. Not knowing exactly what he would be walking into, he pushed himself out of bed, searching the floor blindly for a pair of pants… or his boxers… a t-shirt… he leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp. It cast a hazy red glow around the room and he smirked, remembering the activities of a few hours prior.

Ezra reached out and took Aria's strewn underwear off the lamp, shaking his head as he balled them up and threw them in the hamper across the room. There were a lot of clothes scattered across the floor – most of them Aria's. Magically, Ezra could not find his boxers or the shirt he'd been wearing earlier. However, he was able to find a pair of sweatpants thrown over the arm of a chair, and he quickly shoved both legs in, not worrying about anything else.

Carefully, he made his way out the door and down the stairs. As soon as he hit the landing of the floor below, he could make out a soft, hazy light coming from within the living room.

He stood for a moment at the edge of the room, taking in the sight before him.

Her legs were thrown over the side of the couch, her back lying horizontally along the seat cushions. In her hands was his copy of _The Sun Also Rises_. She was wearing his boxers, and with them, the shirt he'd been unable to locate moments before. The loose material was clinging to her in a way that spurred him to imagine what lay beneath… something about seeing her in his clothes did that. He'd never get after her for wearing them instead of her own, even if she was starting to stretch them out, but he did find it amusing that she'd been so eager to buy clothes that fit, just so she could stop having to wear his… and yet, there she was.

The V-neck, which tended to dip low enough on him, inched even deeper on her small body, and there was a shadow where the material dipped a little in the pocket of her belly button. She was incredibly tiny, and the extra space his clothes provided meant you could hardly make out the way she'd started to grow. But, sooner than either of them really realized, not even his shirts would be able to hide what was there.

Ezra inched into the room, throwing his shadow across the space in front of her, bringing her attention away from the page.

"Hey," he breathed, sleep heavy in his voice. "You okay? Baby keeping you up?"

Aria let the book fall a little, glancing back in his direction. "Yes," she said. She let out a sigh which slowly turned into a yawn. "I hoped that reading for a while would make me sleepy, but it's not really working."

Ezra moved over to sit beside her and Aria flipped her body so that her legs were now draped over his lap, her back against the armrest.

"You look sleepy," he said.

"I am, but I can't sleep. I'll be glad when the nausea passes," she said tiredly.

"Remember that it might not go away," Ezra warned carefully, trying not to make her upset. "I just don't want you to be disappointed if you feel like crap through the whole pregnancy."

Aria placed her book spine-up in her lap and looked down at her belly. She placed both hands on either side and pulled the t-shirt material tight. "Don't make Mommy sick the whole time you're in there," she said.

Ezra chuckled, reaching out and placing his hand across her abdomen. His fingers reached out just far enough that it looked like he was palming a basketball. She was still small enough that he could practically hold her entire belly in one hand. Aria could feel the warmth of his skin pressing through the material and it caused her heart to flutter.

"Why don't I put a movie in? Stay down here with you… just until you fall asleep," Ezra asked quietly.

Aria relaxed her arms, moving her hands so that they sat comfortably on top of his, and gave Ezra a smile. He was good to her.

She'd woken up about an hour ago, stirred by a bout of nausea, and when she'd finished getting sick, she'd quietly crept back into their room. She had expected her mad dash to the bathroom to wake him, but was glad to find that he was still comfortably lying on his back, the sheets pooled at his waist, one arm draped over his head and the other at his side. She had wandered further into the room, intending to sneak back in and curl up beside him, but stopped before she reached the bed.

He had looked so at peace that she didn't have the heart to disturb him. If he realized she was awake and feeling uncomfortable, he would be also.

Now, as she looked on at his tired face, she tried to convince herself that it wasn't her fault he wasn't getting any sleep, and she tried to remind herself that he wanted to stay up with her because that was his way of contributing.

"A movie would be nice," she said. She turned to her side and snuggled her body down so that her legs were hugging his midsection, her boxer-clad butt jutting up against his hip. She wiggled a little, teasing him until he stuck an arm out and let it rest across her hip, his fingers trailing little circles along the hem of the boxers.

"Well, you're making yourself awfully comfortable," he teased. He leaned forward toward the coffee table and picked up the remote, flipping the television on. "How am I supposed to put a movie in with you burrowed in bedside me?"

"Just play whatever's in the DVD player," she offered, yawning through the last half of her sentence.

Ezra hit a few more buttons until finally the menu of an old film popped up on the screen. As soon as he could tell what it was they'd been watching last, he burst out in tired laughter.

Correction – what _he'd_ been watching last.

"I'll change it," he said lightly, feeling Aria's body tense beside him. "Scootch over a little so I can get up. I'll come right back."

Aria let out another yawn and mangled the word, "No…" as she did so, closing her eyes.

There was obvious regret in her voice, but it wasn't enough to make him feel like she minded. He knew she hated Chinatown more than any other movie they owned, but if she was going to be sleeping anyway…

As if she read his mind, she said, "It'll help me fall asleep faster if I don't care about what we're watching." She stuck out her arm toward him, her eyes still closed. "Hand me a blanket?"

Ezra hit play on the movie, and reached behind them, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over her body. As he was tucking the blanket around her back, he heard her mumble, "…and maybe it'll keep you entertained while you're babysitting me."

There was a little bitterness to her voice now.

"I'm not babysitting you," he said, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders to, then pulling her legs closer to him. "I'm spending quality time with you."

The volume was still low enough that the two could converse easily. Aria was already growing more tired – whether it was the movie, the weight of the blanket, or simply Ezra's presence, she wasn't sure. He wasn't either, but he could feel her breathing slow down.

Almost out of nowhere, her tiredness changed to something altogether else and she was feeling a little smothered by his being there.

"You know you can go back to bed and sleep, I don't mind if you get a full night's rest," she offered.

They'd had this conversation, among many others, a few times to date. The morning sickness was getting better now, but at the start, it had been a nearly constant thing, except that it really only tended to hit her at night. The doctor had said it might be something to do with lying down, something to do with acid reflux, something to do with eating right before sleeping… It sounded like it could have to do with a lot of different things, and nothing seemed to help. Aria had tried everything imaginable, and all she could surmise was that the baby was a night owl. He or she simply preferred nighttime activity.

She'd have to learn to deal with it.

However, as she'd continued to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, her head buried in the basin of the toilet, Ezra had started getting up with her, and she had felt increasingly guilty for the fact that now neither of them were getting the amount of sleep they needed. She was carrying the baby, and she knew he just wanted to do his part, but she hated that it meant he had to just sit with her. She'd be glad for his offer when there was a tiny human in a cradle beside them who needed a diaper change, or wanted to nurse, or just be held… but right now, there was really nothing he could do.

Aria was too tired to fight and the movie was one that would truly put her on edge if she didn't block it out, so instead of pressing on, she simply stuck held out her hand beneath the blanket until Ezra interlocked his fingers with hers and whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you."

Ezra gave her hand a squeeze in return before releasing it. He reached over, tucking her hair behind her ear. He leaned down and planted a kiss against her temple at her hairline and whispered, "I love you too."

Then, without any word, he scooted her small frame forward on the couch and snuggled in behind her, pulling her back into him once he was situated. She let her head rest on his arm and breathed in the night-scent that covered his body. It was a very distinct combination of sweat, love, and Ezra. A scent she'd recognize anywhere.

Ezra felt her take in a deep breath and he reveled in the way her back arched into his chest. He left his arm at her hips holding her to him at the waist. He loved laying with her like this because he was able to cradle both Aria and the little life they'd created all at once, something that wouldn't be so easy to do once she gave birth.

As he left his arm tucked gently at her waistline, he smoothed his fingers back and forth where he knew her skin tended to itch as it stretched to make room. Slowly, her breathing started to slow and grow deeper again as sleep consumed her. He placed a light kiss at her temple before letting his own body fade into the cushions, the chatter of Chinatown nothing more than distant background noise.

Four hours later, Aria and Ezra were racing around the apartment in a desperate attempt to pull together their final draft of the book. They had one of their last edit sessions with Liam and he was scheduled to meet them at The Brew in ten minutes.

Aria was adamant on beating him there.

The fact that she and Ezra were officially together, engaged, _and_ expecting a child together was not on Liam's radar as far as she knew, and she would not have their secret discovered because of poor timing.

This was the week of announcements… or rather, the week of getting this news off her chest. She'd lived in a perfect stat of bliss for three months, but it was high past time she clued the rest of her world into what was going on. Regardless of whether or not she was especially excited to tell some parties. The last thing she wanted was for Liam to have anything else to stack up against them, and it would only add fuel to the fire if she and Ezra rolled in late, frazzled, and without having their story straight.

Literally.

Their whole manuscript seemed to be put together in the wrong order.

Aside from the more tangible stresses of being pregnant _and_ unorganized, old habits seem to die hard, and one of Aria's worst habits was feeling a need to keep personal things under wraps for as long as possible. That and the increased level of anxiety she'd picked up along the way made her out to be a tiny, rolling ball of crazy.

She had a thing for secrets and she had a thing for secrets that were _big_.

She had begged Ezra to keep their current situation under wraps "until the time was right" on all fronts - personal and otherwise. Up until a few days ago, when they'd shared the news with her family, she and Ezra were the only ones who knew of their little peanut's existence. Those weeks were some of the very best, despite all the hardship that came as a packaged deal.

Most of the people they saw on a regular basis knew about their engagement, and it was so relieving that they had that topic of conversation to fall back on. Aria had spent hours talking with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna about details, debating the practicality of an indoor ceremony compared to the riskier, more romantic scene of a garden wedding… but every time she'd thought to bring it up, the baby had felt too precious to put out in the open.

She and Ezra had decided, together, to get past the first trimester before bringing the little life to light, but, as the days passed, the time was quickly approaching where she'd have to come face to face with breaking the news to everyone.

That, or she'd have to be okay with the little one making him or her self known on their own, because it was official: she had a baby bump, and it was only going to get bigger.

Telling Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Alison would be fun. She'd finally gotten to a place where she looked forward to breaking that news - and honestly, she was fairly convinced that Spencer was suspecting, but as far as she could tell, she'd deflected her well enough for the time being.

However, telling Liam in particular was making Aria more anxious than she'd been when she'd had to tell her parents.

Aria was growing increasingly convinced that anxiety was a symptom of pregnancy… because next to the nausea, it was the one thing that she just _couldn't_ seem to shake.

Being honest with your employers, regardless of the nature of your personal context, was generally thought to be a good thing. Somehow, Aria had yet to see truth there. No good was going to come from cluing Liam in to all the things that were going on between her and Ezra.

It didn't matter if they were over, it didn't matter if she was happy... and she certainly didn't feel like it would matter to him if it'd been a day, a week, a month, or a year since she'd broken up with him. The thing was: Liam hated Ezra.

Which mean, regardless of circumstance, anything that involved Ezra was going to be a point of dispute for Liam.

She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and imagined a happy place… a few months down the road, curled up in bed, a tiny baby sleeping on her chest, and Ezra reading aloud beside them. It might be a generous image of parenting, but for the time being, that's what she needed: the most positive picture possible of what was to come.

"Have you seen the last chapter?" Ezra asked from in front of his desk. "I could have sworn I had it here yesterday – I was going over some of the dialogue before I went to the grocery."

Aria opened her eyes and looked down at the mess of papers in front of her. She was standing at the kitchen table, elbows deep in papers and notes and old coffee cups.

"I was reading it this morning, before I decided to try Hemingway instead; try under the couch," she offered, her words curling up as if they were a question. At this point, she had no idea where anything was.

Ezra moved from the desk to the couch in one fluid motion. "Aha," he said, half his body under the back of the piece of furniture. Aria chose this moment to turn around, just in time to appreciate the view.

She watched appreciatively as Ezra stretched his arm further under the couch, reaching for the stack of papers. His jeans clung nicely to his form, accentuating the product of his morning runs. When he pushed himself back up into a standing position, Aria quickly looked away an busied herself straightening more paper.

She glanced back over and the look on her face caught him off guard.

"What?" he asked as he straightened himself out, dusting the knees of his pants. "Do I have something on me? Was there a huge dust bunny down there or something?" He turned a little, seemingly chasing his own tail as he looked for a blemish or cluster of dust.

Aria felt her face go warm. She shook her head and cleared her throat, directing her attention back to the pages on the table. "No, no dust," she said half-heartedly. Ezra came up behind her and reached around her, pulling the manuscript from the stack and placing the missing pages where they belonged.

"We better hurry," he said, his breath too hot on her skin.

"Right," she said. It was going to be extremely difficult to sit and talk to Ezra and Liam at the same time. She could hardly keep her emotions – nay, hormones… what she was feeling at the moment was far from emotional – in check while they were alone. She knew that the second they had any kind of audience or reason to _keep_ from acting intimate with one another, those desires would skyrocket.

She _seriously_ needed to practice self-restraint and get her hormones in check. She hadn't realized it was possible to move from anxious to horny in the same second.

Ezra must have sensed a shift in her persona.

"Just remember to breathe," Ezra said as he leaned away from her and moved to the other side of the table. As he was bent over, gathering the various stacks on the table and trying to place them in some kind of order, he looked up at her, his eyes peeking out from beneath his eyelashes. "It's going to be fine, but we do need to leave. Are you ready?"

He was acting shy for some reason… and boy was it turning Aria on.

"Yes," she said, the words coming out in a choked whisper. If she let him know in any way that what he was reading in her body language was the desire to jump his bones rather than a reluctance to head downstairs, they were going to be late for sure, and she wanted to take advantage of her good mood while she still could.

A few moments later, Ezra was at the counter fixing a few cups of coffee and Aria was comfortably seated in the corner of The Brew, her small frame nestled into what the staff had recently started referring to as "her chair." She had been spending a lot of time in the coffee shop. It was less distracting that being home… most of the time. It kind of depended on whether or not Ezra was working on the book or working in The Brew.

And whether or not she was in one of her... _moods_.

Ezra came over with two cups of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, and just as he was about to sit down, the door opened, sending a tinkling of bells through the shop. Aria looked up, past Ezra and braced herself. There had been three other moments, just like this, but before Aria hadn't been met with the sight of her ex-boyfriend, now turned editor.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the time for their awkward encounter had finally arrived. Liam met Aria's eye and walked over to meet them.

Ezra, at putting together who was approaching behind him, stood and stuck out a hand just as Liam arrived before them.

"Good to see you again, Liam," Ezra said.

He did his best to squash the bitter feelings he had toward Liam. He was stressed enough about their meeting today. Considering Liam had spent most of their last edit session going over all the things Ezra was doing wrong in the book – which ended up being more of a critique of his personal life than anything else – Ezra had a hard time taking him seriously… or giving him any kind of real respect. He appreciated the creative criticism Liam had to offer on their book, but anything past that was unwelcome.

Liam's opinions about the way Ezra and Aria had met, and the relationship that had ensued thereafter, were not new in any respect. However, right and wrong aside, Ezra still didn't appreciate the way Liam spoke to Aria, or himself for that matter. Something about Liam rubbed Ezra the wrong way, but the last thing he wanted to do was put personal vendettas on the table at a business meeting.

Diving right into awkward moments, Liam gave Ezra a tight-lipped smile and refused to take his hand, instead choosing to ignore it and pretend like he didn't see Ezra waiting for the return greeting.

"I've got a lot of stuff here we can go over," he said, glancing at Ezra before making pointed eye contact with Aria. "Jillian sent over some proofs and she's got quite a few notes herself – mainly small structural things, a few funny formatting issues here and there… shouldn't take long to go over, but this will be our last formal meeting before we print galleys."

Liam kept both hands gripped around the strap of his messenger bag. Aria watched as Ezra awkwardly retracted his hand and placed it in his pocket. He looked over to her, still standing, as Liam plopped down in the middle of the couch that sat beside the chair Aria was currently residing in. This meant that Ezra either had to share the couch with Liam, or take up the chair opposite Aria.

Or, he could walk over to where Aria was sitting and invite his fiancé and mother of his child to sit on his lap.

As he imagined the look that would surely cross Liam's face were he to be so bold, his heart took a little leap. The surge of amusement (or maybe it was pride) that swept through him was enough to quell his bad attitude for the moment.

"Liam," Ezra said, making one final attempt at being courteous, "can I get you a coffee?"

Liam continued to pull notes and his laptop out of his bag and looked up to Ezra briefly. "That'd be great, thanks," he said, before turning his attention once more to what was before him.

Ezra and Aria made eye contact over Liam's head. Aria's face displayed all the uncertainty she was feeling and Ezra tried his best not to let his own discomfort show. He'd been really trying to hold it together for her sake. So far, it was working, but this meeting had the potential to be his undoing.

Before it was too noticeable that he still had not moved from his spot, Ezra motioned for Aria to breathe, subtly taking his hand and bringing it up and down in front of his chest, and he left them to retrieve a cup of coffee for their editor.

"So," Aria said, desperately trying to fill the silence. She didn't really know what to say. There were a few things that needed to be said, and a few things she didn't want to bring up. They might have been one and the same. She watched as Liam struck a few keys on his laptop. His nervous energy was rubbing off on her and she could feel her insides begin to tighten as an old emotion started to take over her thoughts. Guilt. She reminded herself to breathe.

"So, how has Boston been?" she asked, breaking the silence. She internally beat herself up for such a lame opening. How's Boston? What was she even asking about? The weather?

Liam gradually looked up to her with a look of pity across his face.

"Listen," he started, calming his hands and folding them in front of him, letting them hang over the keyboard. "Jillian mentioned…" he let his voice trail off for a second and his eyes diverted from her face to her hand.

Aria instinctively went to cover her engagement ring, but it was too late. She didn't know what she'd hoped. She wasn't interested in pretending like any of her new developments with Ezra hadn't happened, but she hated, for Liam's sake, that things were turning out the way they were. She didn't like to think that her happiness was bringing him discomfort. Say what you will, but she _had_ cared about him.

"It's not a big deal, Aria. She said you were wearing a ring the last time you two Skyped, and she gave me a heads up. We don't have to talk about anything but the book if you don't want. I'm not here to harass you. I'm just here to do my job."

"I know," Aria said. As an afterthought, she added, "Ezra and I are getting married next summer. I – my intention was never to hurt you, Liam." She felt like she was stating the obvious, but it needed to be said.

Liam went to say something else but as soon as his mouth opened, Ezra came back, coffee in hand. "I brought a carafe, in case anyone wants a refill." He set both Liam's cup and the carafe on the table between them and took a seat in the chair across from Aria, placing both hands on his knees. "Where should we get started?"

The space between them was suddenly too tight. Aria fiddled with her left hand where the weight of her engagement ring seemed to be pulling her whole body down toward the ground. She was staring at Ezra with a dark look in her eye and he was looking between her and Liam, trying to figure out what he'd missed. Both of their faces told him _something_ had been said… exactly what something, he wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry," Aria blurted out, her face hot. She could feel her pulse beating in her neck. While the words were already tumbling out, she pushed herself to vocalize the rest of what was weighing on her. "We're –"

Ezra's eyes grew wide as Aria nervously shifted in her seat. She had crossed her legs, and it had provided the perfect accentuation of the life being carried at her waist. He racked his brain for a way to redirect the attention off of her or to take the blow for her by making this announcement. He could tell that's where this was headed… though he still didn't know what had been said before. Perhaps she'd already dropped the wedding bomb? He hoped. Maybe that would lessen the blow that would come with the baby.

Before he could say a word, Liam cut in.

"Let's not talk about it," Liam said, using his hand to gesture away the awkwardness. "I'd… really rather not talk about your wedding." He was now looking down to wear Aria was fiddling with the ring on her finger.

Both Aria and Ezra watched from opposite sides of the table as Liam's eyes grew wide. Aria noticed the line along his forehead furrow as he made the connection. Her hands steadied and heat rolled down from her neck to her chest. She shifted her eyes from Liam's face to Ezra's across from her and the look in his eyes made her heart sink. She felt like she was going to disappear into the chair. She _wanted_ to disappear into the chair. And she could tell that Ezra was wishing he could do anything to trade places with her right now.

"Oh, god," Liam said, his voice laced with disgust. "Tell me you're not?"

Aria instinctively moved a hand to cover her belly, protecting what was inside.

"Liam, don't," she started.

Liam looked between them.

"Don't what?" he asked, accusation thick in his voice.

"You know what," Aria cut in. "You were right - let's just work on the book. None of this matters right now." She subconsciously pulled at the hem of her shirt, making sure that it wasn't clinging to her too tightly.

It wasn't like it mattered though. He knew now.

"I don't think I can do this," he said. "I thought I could look past you two being together, but I can't. I can't condone what you did and I can't be part of what you're doing now – in any fashion."

Ezra cleared his throat and scooted forward in his chair. He watched Aria as he spoke his next words, wanting nothing more than to go over and hold her. She had her eyes closed and still had her hand resting at the base of her belly, just barely letting it sit there, out of sight.

"Liam, I think we need to just make it through this last session. After this, we'll go to Jillian and we'll ask her to put someone else on the team. Let's not make it personal."

"Not make it personal?" Liam cut back. "It's too late for that."

Aria opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "We've been over this. Please; let's not dredge this back up."

Liam was seething. He pushed his glasses up, a tell Aria knew to mean he meant serious business. "I have tried to be as understanding as possible of the two of you, but this is where I draw the line. How long have you two even been back together?" He directed his attention at Aria and Ezra felt his pulse quicken. "How far along are you? Were you sleeping with him the whole time we were together?"

"That's not fair," Aria said. "You know I wasn't. Ezra and I hadn't talked for five years before I came back to Rosewood."

Ezra was starting to grow very uncomfortable, but he imagined he wasn't the only one.

Liam turned his attention back on Ezra. "So help me god, if you're forcing yourself on her, I will go to the police. I don't give a fuck what happens to you. I don't."

"Liam, seriously." Aria's voice had taken on a completely new tone. She was whispering, but her words cut sharp. "Stop it. For the last time, it's not like that."

"You know," Liam said, "you keep saying that, and I'd like to believe you, but I think I've got a pretty clear picture of what it is. Your English teacher seduced you, manipulated you, and when you were finally able to move away and make something of yourself and start a new life, he found a way to insert himself into your life again and now he's convinced you that you can't live without him. You're brainwashed, Aria, and I think you should come back Boston with me."

"Liam - _stop_." Aria was on the edge of her chair, her eyes huge as she looked around the room. "You're making a scene and people are starting to stare."

"So?" He gestured at her. "You two seem perfectly fine with making a spectacle of yourselves."

"That's enough," Ezra said, standing. Aria recognized the sharpness of his voice from the time she'd accused him of murdering Charlotte, and even though his words weren't directed at her, the way he spoke sent a chill own her spine. "We're done here. This conversation and this meeting is over. Aria, I think you should go home. I want to have a word with him. Alone."

"She's not going anywhere," Liam said, standing as well. "Is this the way you always talk to her?"

He was about five inches shorter than Ezra - just short enough to be noticeable. Liam had to stand back a bit in order to meet him in the eye. Ezra's heart was beating a mile a minute. He looked to a few customers who were sitting nearby. There were two older women who could surely hear every word that was being said. He gave them a curt smile and short nod.

"I apologize for the disruption," he said to them. "Please, forgive us."

The ladies seemed, at the very least, embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping and returned to their chatting, their voices hushed enough so that they could still make out whatever would happen beside them over the next few minutes.

"Liam, I think it's best if we don't continue this working relationship. We'll call Jillian this afternoon, explain that it was just going to be too hard to work with you so closely, and arrange for a new editor to be assigned. I'll be sure to explain that it has nothing to do with your work ethic."

Aria snorted from her chair. Ezra shot her a warning look, and she rolled her eyes in return.

"This has nothing to do with the book," Liam said. His voice was hushed now. "This is about what's best for Aria. This is about you being a disgusting excuse for a man." He looked back at Aria who was still sitting, watching both men as they had it out before her.

"Stop it, both of you," she said. Her temper was growing short, and she wasn't feeling well.

"No," Liam said. "I walked away last time - I'm not walking away again. Listen to me, Aria, this isn't right. He's taking advantage of you, and if you're not going to put a stop to it, I will."

Something snapped within Aria as his words hit her. She was pushing herself out of her chair, lunging toward Liam with a fire in her eyes. It was taking everything she had not to raise her voice at him. Thankfully, her pride got in the way and she kept her voice at a harsh whisper.

"The only person who is going to be listening is you," she said, her hand cutting the air between them. "You don't know Ezra, and you hardly know me. Has it ever occurred to you that he's _not_ forcing me to do _anything_? That he _never_ forced me to do anything? Have you thought for even a second about the fact that maybe I wanted to be with him then as much as I want to be with him now?" She was furious. Livid. Call it what you will: the straw the broke the camel's back, baby hormones, her territorial nature kicking in… whatever. She was done having this conversation with her parents, she was done having this conversation with Liam, she was done having this conversation, period.

Ezra stood slightly between them, slightly to the side, in awe of Aria's outburst. He'd been the recipient of her anger enough times to know that there was only one way this would end. He stood back and let her take control.

"Think about it, Liam. You and I were together for only a few months, but I was with him for _years_. I might have been in high school, and he might have been in his twenties, but there were always two of us. There were two of us the first time we kissed, two of us on every date, and two of us every time we had sex. Do you hear me? We are done having this conversation. All of this," she moved her hand in a circular motion between them, "is in the past, and you do not have the right to an opinion on the matter."

Ezra was growing increasingly uncomfortable as he listened to Aria's monologue. Several times he had to hold himself back from stopping her. He wanted to let her take charge, but she was treading a thin line between setting Liam straight and digging them into a very, very deep hole. One he was terrified they may not be able to get out of.

If the wrong person overheard any part of this conversation, things could be taken in a dangerous direction. Because bottom line: they _did_ love each other... but bottom line: they had been in the wrong all those years ago; both of them. And at the moment, she wasn't being shy about that fact.

The energy around them was buzzing, but thankfully, Aria's words had been quiet enough not to draw extra attention, and for the most part, it seemed that people had gone back to their business. Ezra was glad he'd picked the furthest corner of the shop for their meeting.

"Aria, do you mind going home, please? Getting so worked up isn't good for… I'd just appreciate if you went upstairs." His voice was soft, caring. He was about to say, _getting so worked up isn't good for_ _the baby_ , but he thought that under the present circumstances, drawing direct attention back to their child wasn't exactly the best idea.

She nodded and pushed her hair behind her ear, struggling not to let out the tears that were brimming in her eyes. He sounded defeated, and he sounded tired. He sounded like he dreaded what as going to come next – whatever it was. He ignored Liam for the time being and walked over, taking her by the shoulders. "You don't look like you feel well," he said.

Aria looked to him and let out a deep breath. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said, before pushing past him and purging the contents of her stomach into the trashcan in the corner. Ezra was hot on her trail and swiftly moved behind her, pulling her short hair as far back as he could, away from her mouth, as she finished getting sick. His heart was pounding, and he could feel himself starting to feel sick as well - though from different reasons.

This was by far one of the worst mornings they'd had in a long time.

"Sabrina?" he called over his shoulder. The young woman, who had been keeping a careful eye on the situation since Liam had entered the building quickly picked up a new towel from beneath the counter and came around to meet Ezra at Aria's side.

"I'm sorry," Aria said as she pulled back and wiped her mouth. The tears that had been brimming her eyes were now streaming down her cheeks in a silent, hot trail. Ezra pulled her into his chest, letting one hand drift down to the small of her back while his other cupped the back of her head. Liam was awkwardly standing in the background, watching and waiting. The whole of the shop seemed to have their eyes locked on the group.

 _This is just great_ , Ezra thought as he struggled to avoid eye contact with everyone around them.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked, her voice full of concern.

Ezra spoke calmly. "Would you mind taking her upstairs and getting her a cool washcloth and a can of sprite? There's a case in the refrigerator – or there should be… if not, there should be another case in the pantry."

"I'm fine, Ezra," Aria cut in.

"No, you're not," he said, loosening his hold on her so that he could see her face. "You had a full stomach. You're going to get sick at least a few more times before you'll be fine, and even then, I don't want you near this."

He looked over to Liam, who was starring daggers, both hands positioned on his hips like he was ready to have it out.

"Come on, Aria, I'll make you some tea; it'll help calm your stomach." Sabrina reached a hand out and took Aria's elbow. She dropped her voice. "As soon as you're all set, I'll come back down and send Ezra up. Just let him take this one for the team."

Aria closed her eyes and placed a hand to her forehead. She was already spinning again now that she was standing completely on her own, out of Ezra's firm grasp. Giving into defeat she looked at Sabrina sympathetically and nodded her thanks. "Okay," she said, half-heartedly. "Thank you."

"I won't be long. Go upstairs and try not to think about any of this," Ezra said, kissing the top of her head before she left.

Aria didn't say anything as she walked back to her chair, grabbed her things, and let Sabrina lead her up the stairs to the loft.

Once they were on the landing, in the quiet hallway that lead to Ezra's apartment, Aria let out a breath.

"Are you okay?" Sabrina asked as she pushed open the door and let Aria pass through the entrance first. "I couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked like you were in a pretty heated argument."

"I'm fine," Aria said. "Really, thank you, but you don't have to stay.

"I'm not going to just leave you up here. Clearly you aren't feeling well."

"It will pass," Aria said.

She walked over to the couch and let her body sink into the cushions. As she lay there, she looked over to Sabrina who was sweetly hovering by the door, unsure what exactly to do with herself. She tried to compose herself before speaking again.

"Thank you for coming up here with me," Aria said. "I've been awful to you in the past. I'm an awful person." She let her hands rest on her belly and left her eyes trained there as she picked at her nail polish.

"You're not an awful person," Sabrina said.

"Yes, I am. I've single-handedly ruined Ezra's life on more than one occasion. Now I've ruined a lot for Liam too… I've been terrible to you, putting your job at risk, treating your rudely… Getting between you and Emily. The list goes on."

"Aria, I have a hard time believing any of that is true. I know for a fact that you haven't ruined a single thing for me, and that you have _not_ ruined anything for Ezra."

Aria stopped her nervous hands and looked up to meet Sabrina's eyes. Aria had tears streaming down her face and her skin was pale with nausea.

"You saved him, Aria," Sabrina said, coming over and taking a seat beside her on the couch. "There were months where I was afraid I'd come in to work to find him upstairs, unconscious or worse. I made a habit of bringing him coffee in the morning just to have a reason to check up on him. I know you think you know how bad it was, but Aria… before you came back to Rosewood, he was so much worse. Having you here… that was the first time I'd seen him breathe in years."

Aria listened as Sabrina spoke, and each word that came out of her mouth sat heavily on Aria's heart. She took in a ragged breath and was about to say, _thank you_ \- for what exactly, she wasn't sure - when she felt the bile rising in her chest. She put a hand to her chest in anticipation and a moment later, bolted up from the couch and toward the bathroom.

"I'll get a glass of water and a rag," Sabrina offered, heading to the kitchen.

A moment later, Aria was back on the couch, her head hanging between her knees as she tried to calm herself. She knew the nausea would subside if she could just get her breathing under control. She looked up as Sabrina came back into the room, a bucket in one hand, a glass of water in the other, and a cool rag draped over her wrist.

She sat the bucket on the floor beside Aria and draped the rag over the side, then held the water out to her. "Only drink it if you think it'll stay on your stomach. Otherwise, try taking a few sips a little later on. Make sure you stay hydrated."

Aria took the glass. "Thank you, Sabrina. Really. I'll be fine, go ahead and go back downstairs. I'd much rather you check on that situation than have to hover here with me."

"I don't want to leave you if you need me…" she said.

"We'll be fine," Aria said. She leaned back, letting her head rest against the back of the couch. She smiled for the first time since early that morning and pulled her shirt back a little. "It might be a while until I stop getting sick. The baby doesn't like when I get stressed."

"Oh my god," Sabrina said, throwing her hands up to cover her mouth. "You're pregnant?"

"Very," Aria said with a laugh. "Please don't say anything to Emily yet – or anyone, really. She's one of the next on a very long list of people I need to tell."

Sabrina stayed standing. "Wow," she said. "Should probably go check on things downstairs if that's has anything to do with this."

"I hope they haven't killed each other," Aria said.

"I hope they haven't driven off all the customers. Are you feeling any better at all?"

"Not really," Aria said. "I'll feel better when I know what happened after we left."

"Okay, I'll go down and I'll try to send him up."

"He might not come up right away," Aria cautioned.

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised," Sabrina said. Aria thought she'd move to leave, but she didn't. Instead she stood there for a few seconds, her arms crossed, just staring at Aria's belly. "I can't believe you told your ex you were pregnant before you told your best friends."

Aria's eyes brew wide in disbelief. Sabrina was sweet and her only fault was being too honest at times. Aria tried to remind herself that she probably didn't mean it to come off as harsh as it did.

"Trust me," Aria cut back, "it wasn't an ideal situation.

Sabrina made a barely audible grunt of agreement before letting her arms drop back to her side and turning to leave. Before she passed through the door, she leaned back and looked at Aria. "You're brave," she said. "You're braver than I would be. I won't say anything to Emily, just don't keep this from her for too much longer. She'll want to know."

As soon as the door was closed, Aria was overwhelmed with the silence around her. She and Sabrina always had odd encounters – they were always awkward together. They both meant well at the start, but it somehow always ended up being uneven somehow. Aria wondered what was going on downstairs, and she hoped that Ezra came back up soon. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to relax until she knew what had happened after she left.

* * *

 **A/N: So there you have it. Liam has been somewhat dealt with. I figure they're still writing the book, and he can't be gone for good... I wonder what transpired between them after Aria left. (Like, genuinely, I wonder... we'll have to find out together.) I know I said this would be a lot of fluff, but I want the fluff to really feel good, so just know that I only plan on mucking things up for a little bit, and only enough to make the good stuff worth the wait. Trust me. There's nothing I hate more than seeing my OTP suffer.**

 **Leave a review if you feel so inclined! I also want to know what scenes you'd like to see in future chapters.  
**

 **P.S. I also want to address any commentary I have on the teacher/student relationship through Liam/Ezra/Aria. For the record: I do not condone this in real life. I do not want to romanticize it. For the sake of the show and the characters, I look past it. I have fun writing them. Not every story is perfect, and not every person makes the right choices. That doesn't mean that their story doesn't exist. So. That being said, please just know that this is a work of fiction (like, extreme fiction considering it's fiction based off fiction) and I'm hoping against all odds that if you're reading it, you have a similar viewpoint. If you don't, please just move on.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I had a hard time with this chapter, but I like where it's at. Hopefully you will too.**

* * *

When Ezra exited the back office, Sabrina was just coming down the stairs. He swiftly shut the door behind him and made his way over to the counter where there was a line starting to form.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"Cup of coffee," the gentleman said, tapping his credit card against the counter top in agitation, clearly displeased that he'd had to wait.

Ezra swallowed hard, trying with everything he had to push down the urge to bolt upstairs.

"Coming right up," he said. He took a cup from the stack at the register and turned, filling it from the pot behind him. "It's on the house," he said as he handed the cup of liquid over. "Sorry for your wait."

The man took the cup, neglecting to say anything at all in response.

"You have a great day, too," he said under his breath, just as Sabrina came up beside him.

"Everything okay down here?" she asked.

"Not really," Ezra said curtly.

"Well let me take over," she said, stepping in behind him and greeting the next person. Before asking for their order, she leaned back and whispered to Ezra, "You've got a bun in the oven and I think you need to go check on it."

Ezra stood back, mouth slightly agape, and Sabrina didn't wait long enough to see if he had a response.

She was right though, and he didn't argue her point.

He took a deep breath and pushed his hand through his hair. He was facing away from the counter now, but he was still standing in the space. Sabrina gently maneuvered around him, trying to be conscientious of where he was without flat out asking him to move. When she bumped into him and nearly spilled a hot cup of tea down his pants, he realized that he was in the way.

Moving to the back room once more, he was finally alone. He took a deep breath, one hand outstretched, still braced against the doorknob. He counted to twenty, doing his best to calm his nerves, before opening the door once more and making his way across the shop toward the staircase. As he ascended the stairs, all he could do was replay the short but uncomfortable conversation he'd just had.

 _As soon as Aria had made the turn to go upstairs, Ezra was on Liam without any consideration of the people around them. Through gritted teeth he commanded the younger man to follow him to his office._

 _Ezra felt like he was teaching again, and Liam was reminding him dangerously of Noel Kahn. He thought briefly and bitterly of the type of ex-boyfriends Aria had, but that thought only lead him to wondering of his own character. He chewed on this thought only for a moment, but he knew it was one that would revisit, most likely when things had calmed down and he was sitting alone, left to stew over the way he'd reacted this morning… and on many occasions previously._

 _Ezra was relieved to find that Liam followed him without hesitation. As soon as the door was closed, he could feel the negative energy swirling around them. He reached over and flipped on a light, forcing the shadows out._

 _"_ _Let's keep this short and sweet," Ezra said, totally done with everything. "We're going to get a new editor. You're going to leave us alone, and you're not going to talk to or see Aria unless she initiates it. Do you understand?"_

 _"_ _What makes you so certain she won't want to talk to me," Liam challenged._

 _"_ _I'm not saying she won't. I'm actually betting on the fact that she will. She's a compassionate, considerate woman, and I know her too well to think that she'll be able to leave all of this behind her. As much as I want her to have nothing to do with you, I know she's not going to let this be the way things end between you, because I know she cares too much not to apologize. But you need to let her come to you. Regardless of your feelings for me, prefer her. "_

 _Liam didn't say anything right away, but Ezra could tell he was holding something back._

 _"_ _Just say it. Get it off your chest. Come on, we're too old for this," he said._

 _It only took Liam two beats to push his glasses up and open his mouth._

 _"_ _Where do you get off thinking you can tell me what to do? You're a worthless piece of shit, you know it? Talk about being too old… for Christ's sake, I would like nothing more than to see you put away for everything you've done."_

 _"_ _What is it exactly that you're holding against me? Loving her first? The fact that I'm the one she's marrying? Or is it just the fact that she chose to be with me in general. Then, now, tomorrow…"_

 _"_ _You manipulated her into having a relationship that should never have been on the table," Liam countered. His voice was low and even. His shoulders were back, and he wasn't blinking._

 _"_ _How are we still having this conversation?" Ezra asked. "You don't know what happened. It was over five years ago. It was a mistake. We both admit that we made a wrong choice – it ended. We've started over."_

 _"_ _I don't care how it started or how it ended the first time. I just want what's best for her, and I strongly believe that you are not it."_

 _"_ _And you think you are?"_

 _"_ _I do," Liam said, nodding. "But it's obvious she doesn't agree, and what I won't do is ruin her life."_

 _Ezra didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what he hated more – that Liam was honestly coming from a genuine place, that he was being a good guy, or that they were both trying to make the same case: they loved Aria and they wanted what was best for her._

 _Of all the ways the argument could have gone… all the directions it could have taken, this was not how Ezra had expected it to unfold. It unnerved him that he was able to see Liam's pint of view. He blinked and felt like his whole body deflated. He didn't know what to say, because he didn't know what to think._

 _Liam's voice was softer the next time he spoke. It seemed that they were both coming to the same conclusion._

 _"_ _I can't be supportive of the relationship you have. I can't force myself to be okay with it… but I refuse to let her go down for your mistakes."_

 _"_ _Liam –" Ezra cut him off._

 _"_ _No, I don't want to hear your excuses –"_

 _"_ _I'm not trying to make excuses. I'm trying to explain this to you." He didn't leave enough time between his words for Liam to cut him off again, instead powering straight through. He moved his hands forward, talking through expression as much as through words. "The very last thing either of us wants is for her to get hurt. I am not the best thing for her. Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've spent enough years thinking about the fact that I have taken more from her than I've been able to give?"_

 _Ezra paused, his heart suddenly shattering from the admission of such an innermost thought. He had not expressed these words to anyone. Not even to Aria… not really anyway. He steadied himself, pushing both hands back through his curly mess of hair, and letting out a deep sigh. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She and I were not in the right place when she left for college. We both needed to figure out what life was like without each other." He let out a deep sigh._ _"_ _I think we're done here. I can't defend my relationship with Aria more than I already have, and quite frankly, I don't want to have to defend it to you. You've clearly already made up your mind. It's over; we're getting married, we're having a baby."_

 _They stood in awkward silence – both of them filled with plenty of words, but neither of them able to bring themselves to speak them. Ezra was feeling discouraged after the encounter, second guessing himself and his relationship with the woman upstairs, not at all for the first time… and Liam was feeling sickeningly torn. He didn't like Ezra. He probably never would. But for some reason, seeing the brokenness that was splayed across the man's face was not making him feel like he was in the right. He felt shallow, and he didn't like that._

 _As the moment grew on, Liam's attitude shifted from brazenly aggressive to passively indifferent. The feelings he had were still there, but he was losing the energy to fight. He shot one final glare at Ezra before retreating back into the main area to retrieve his things._

 _Ezra stood and watched him leave. Jillian would definitely be getting a call later. Ezra was past caring about anyone's feelings but Aria's._

When he finally reached the door to the loft, he pushed it open slowly, not sure what he'd find inside. He wasn't excited about rehashing his whole conversation with Liam – especially if it lead to any kind of debate between him and Aria. He wasn't overly excited about the book anymore either. Liam had successfully but a damper on something that was very dear to Ezra's heart.

When he passed through the entryway, he was met with the sound of running water coming from the kitchen. Aside from the occasional clatter of dishes, the space was quiet. Aria's back was to him as she stood at the sink, and he thought he could make out the quiet sound of sniffling. She looked incredibly small from behind and it made Ezra's breath catch. He was reminded of how _young_ she had been when they were first involved. What had he been thinking? She was his _student_ , she was _sixteen_ … and he was twenty-two and it was irresponsible, inconsiderate, and _wrong_.

"I'm sorry," he said. He hadn't meant to say the thought aloud. When the words left his lips, it was with broken and cracked delivery.

Aria shut the water off, placed a glass in the drying rack, and reached for a towel to dry her hands, all before turning around to face him. She'd been acting like she had no idea he was in the room, but that wasn't the case. She knew he was there.

"Don't apologize, Ezra," she said. She leaned against the sink, still wringing her hands through the towel. Her eyes were downcast, locked on the checkered fabric. "I don't want you to apologize for anything. You've done nothing wrong." Aria let the towel fall to the counter and walked over, taking hold of both his hands.

"I love you," she said. "I don't think I say that enough."

He pulled his hands out of her grasp and placed them on either side of her head. She looked so young, so small and breakable. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he tried to deal with the debate going on inside his heart.

"Have I ruined your life?" It wasn't really a question. He wasn't really looking for an answer… but at the same time, he needed one more than he realized.

"Ezra," she said, the hurt at his statement evident. "Don't say things like that. Of course you haven't."

"Aria, you can't ignore the fact that what Liam said was true –"

"Stop, Ezra," Aria said, pulling back from him. "Do you love me?"

"Yes, I – of course I do, but –"

"No, no buts. I love you. You love me. We shouldn't let anyone tell us that our feelings are anything less than what they are. Ezra, you're _it_ for me. You've _always_ been it. We're unconventional and from the outside, maybe it looks like we shouldn't work as well as we do… but that's the thing. We do work. We work _well_ together. I am a better person because of you."

Aria moved her hands so that they were cupping his face. She let one thumb smooth back the greying hair at his temple as she looked back and forth between his eyes. She was biting her bottom lip and it was doing things to him… things that shouldn't be happening while they were trying to have a serious conversation.

"I don't care what Liam or anyone else thinks anymore," Aria said. "I don't want to forget the past, but I do want to leave it behind us. We can't keep dredging up old issues. Especially this one. Eventually we're going to have new hurdles and I need you to be all in, without question. _We_ need you."

She smiled at him, softly, and kept her hands where they were.

He was being silent as he listened to her talk, but she knew he was actively listening. She reached out and wiped away a few tears that were threatening to leave a trail of salt down his cheek.

"Don't doubt my feelings for you, and don't doubt how genuine they are, okay?"

Ezra nodded.

"And do me one more favor? If you're doubting your feelings for me, don't leave me in the dark."

"Aria, no." The words rushed out, and he pulled her to him. "No, that's not what's happening. Please, don't think that."

She leaned back so she could see him. "I don't think that, I'm just… making sure you know that I need you."

"I need you too," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess. Well…" she snickered a little, mostly out of relief. "You're kind of a mess, but you're my mess. Usually I'm the one who's a mess. We make a good team."

Ezra tucked her hair behind her ears, letting his hands trail over her locks and down to her shoulders. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Though he couldn't see it, Aria closed her eyes and pushed away a few tears of her own. She let out a breath, reveling in his close presence.

When Ezra leaned back, Aria breached the topic neither of them wanted to discuss. "So does this mean everything is okay with Liam, obvious arguments aside? I don't see a black eye…"

"I guess – I don't really know, to be honest. I think we're still exactly where we were before. Maybe a little better off… he left without any final dig, so I guess that's something."

"Is he going to make a big deal out of us being together? No police…" she trailed off, leaving it as more of a question than a statement.

"I don't think so," Ezra said. He leaned back against the island and brought Aria's body close so that she was leaning on him too. "I want to call Jillian and have someone else in charge of overseeing the book. Are you okay with me doing that?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine."

"I told you I was going to make this work and I let him get the better of me. I'm sorry for that."

"Ezra, stop. It's not your fault. Nothing's your fault." Aria cleared her throat and began to trail a hand across Ezra's jaw line. She was growing more distracted as each second passed.

"Aria," he started, his voice trailing off in question. "Talk to me, please. Are you all right? What's wrong?"

She laughed, "Nothing's wrong," she said. "I just don't really care what happens anymore. Is that awful?"

"Only sort of awful," Ezra said, leaning down and planting a kiss beneath her ear lobe. He let his lips burn against her skin for a brief moment before moving up an inch to whisper in her ear. "I hope you care a little about what happens. I don't want either of us to go to jail. I've been looking forward to marrying you…"

Aria's face grew warm and she couldn't keep the smile from forming on her face.

"I _really_ like the sound of that," she said. "I guess I can afford to care a little. I wish we could just be married already."

"Oh yeah?" Ezra reached down and held Aria at the waist. He let his fingers inch their way below the hem of her shirt and gently padded across the supple texture of her skin. She was warm and soft. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck, breathing deeply as her scent enveloped him. "Want to reconsider my offer? Run away together… just me and you…" He sucked a little on her neck and her breath caught audibly and a little noise escaped her throat.

Ezra burst out laughing but didn't stop.

"You're going to give me a hickey, stop it!" she said, holding back laughter and trying to push him away. Her efforts were for naught as he kept firmly to his spot. "Ezra," she begged, now laughing because it was tickling her just as much as it was turning her on. "God," she breathed, "if you're not going to stop, at least take me to the couch so I don't have to try and keep myself standing. I'm pregnant, remember? I'm carrying a whole human."

"How could I forget?" he mumbled against her skin. "It's our little avocado."

"Uh, huh…" she was turning to putty beneath him. "Couch, Ezra…"

He didn't need any more encouragement. Swiftly, he hoisted her up by her thighs and brought her to his waist so that he could carry her across the room. She wrapped her legs around him and let her hands dive into his curls, holding him there at her neck. Even though he was walking and could hardly see where they were going, Ezra didn't break away from her skin. He continued to suck there until his mouth was sore and he was seated on the couch, Aria straddling his hips.

He puled back just enough to rip Aria's shirt over her head, and she was quick to let him do so.

"This is not what we should be doing right now," Ezra said between devouring her mouth and rubbing his hands up and down her arms, over her back, through her hair...

"Shut up and keep kissing me," Aria said. Ezra laughed into her, smiling against her lips.

Only a few moments passed before Ezra tried to pull away again. "Seriously though, I was supposed to help Sabrina after our meeting."

His breathing was heavy, and even though he was talking through their make out session, Aria could tell he wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. He was one hundred percent with her – he didn't need to _say_ anything for her to know that. Sitting on his lap was informative enough.

"Let's not talk about Sabrina right now, okay?"

"Good idea," he said.

Ezra did not stop kissing her. If anything, he kissed her harder. His hands moved to the waistline of her pants and started pushing at them. Aria pulled them back and placed each at her chest.

"Stay up here a minute," she said huskily. "I'm not in the mood to rush." She cupped his face in her hands and let her tongue run over his gums, urging him to kiss her more deeply. Ezra was happy to comply. Reaching around to her back, he bent the fabric of her bra just like she'd taught him until the wires were released and the article fell forward on her shoulders.

He pulled her bra and as it raked along her skin, it sent a shiver over her, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. He leaned back against the couch as he let the bra drop to the ground and stared at the woman in front of him.

"God, you're beautiful."

"You're talking too much," she said, leaning forward and gently coaxing him into kissing her again.

He took her by the arms and lovingly pushed her back so that he could see her. "I want to look at you a minute," he said. As he observed her, he let his fingers trail over every inch of her. "It's mid-morning, almost afternoon, the sun is hitting you perfectly, you're topless, you're pregnant, you're _straddling_ me… I just want to remember this moment."

Aria looked off to the side, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. He reached up and turned her face so that their eyes met. He pulled her face toward him until they were nose to nose. "Let me love you," he breathed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Sabrina heard a loud clang coming from upstairs. Several customers had already mentioned complaints about noise coming from above them, and she had ridden if off as Ezra and Aria in a spat over what had occurred during their meeting with the publisher… editor… Aria's ex… whoever. Now, however, with hearing the loud, uneven movement from above, and the fact that the amount of noise that was being made was becoming distracting to those who were trying to quietly read, she figured she should go make sure an argument hadn't gotten violent.

She didn't think it was like them to get physical, but they both seemed like they had a temper at times… so she didn't put it past them.

She finished up the order she was working on, took advantage of the fact that there were no other people in line, and walked over, ascending the stairs that lead to the loft. She should have known the second she stepped foot on the landing that she'd misunderstood the commotion, but she wasn't especially great at picking up on social cues.

On the other side of the door, Aria and Ezra were oblivious to the light knock from the hallway.

Aria was still hovering above Ezra, but they'd moved to the stairs. The goal had been the bedroom, but they hadn't made it that far. They were paying little attention to what they were doing and where they were. He was still completely clothed, but she didn't have a spec of clothing on aside from her underwear… and Ezra was itching to slide those off as well. Aria was in a bossy mood, dragging the moment out, fully enjoying watching him squirm as she insisted on taking things painstakingly slow. For him at least.

He loved the fact that she was dragging this out, but it was killing him at the same time. She slid a hand down and pressed it between his legs while at the same time nipping at his neck. He let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed her waist, shoving her against the wall. He used the palm of his hand to brace himself there against her and it made a heavy thud as it made contact with the plaster.

"Am I being too rough?" he asked between biting her lip and attacking her neck.

"No," she said. "Just don't break another lamp and be careful of the baby."

"You're, like, the same person right now," he said. "And the lamp wasn't my favorite anyway."

"Ezra, stop talking."

He did as he was told, leaving only their interlocked lips to disrupt the silence around them. A moment later, there was another rap on the door and this time they were both able to hear it.

"What was that," Aria said lazily, lost in the sensation of his mouth, which had traveled down and attached itself to her breast.

"Shhh…." Ezra leaned up, kissing a line up to her collarbone. "It's nothing, just relax."

The knocking came again.

"Shit," she said. Her eyes shot open and reality struck her like hammer to nail. "That's the door - Ezra, that's the door."

Ezra's eyes grew in confusion and for the moment, he forgot about the skin he'd been giving attention to.

"Ezra?" a voice called from the other side of the door.

"Shit, shit, shit," Aria was saying as she bounced her fingers against Ezra's shoulders in a nervous panic. "Let me up – I've got to get a shirt on or something."

"It's just Sabrina, she's not going to barge in here –"

Before the sentence had even left his mouth entirely, the door creaked open and Sabrina pushed her head through without any consideration to what might be taking place inside.

"I stand corrected."

Ezra reacted so quickly that, if she wasn't before, Aria was now thoroughly pinned against the wall, the front of her body, and her exposed chest only covered by Ezra's frame. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. She felt like she was naked on stage and the whole world was staring at her…

… and that wasn't far from the truth considering she _was_ almost completely naked.

"Oh, god! I'm so sorry – I… god, guys." Sabrina backed out the door, leaving it wide open, her hands held up to her brow like she was shielding her eyes from the view.

Aria was too caught off guard to say anything. She shot out Ezra's name, scolding him – for what she wasn't really sure, it's not like it was his fault they were in the predicament they were… she could have locked the door when he didn't. She could have kept her clothes on. She could have listened to him when he said that he was supposed to be downstairs covering the counter.

But… at the same time, this was their home – they should be able to do what they want without having people barge in on them.

"Fuck," Ezra said. His body relaxed, but Aria's stayed tense against him. He looked over his shoulder at the door, which was still wide open, exposing them both to the hallway.

"Since when does she let herself in here unannounced?"

"I'm supposed to be downstairs covering the counter," Ezra said, distracted. He was still shielding Aria's body from view and didn't know exactly how to continue doing that while also shutting the door.

Who doesn't shut the door after witnessing something like this?

"I know you're supposed to be downstairs – but you own the place. You can do what you want. Besides - we live here. What's she doing barging in like that?"

"I don't know, here," he tore off his shirt and gave it to Aria. She took it without thought and threw it over her head. She was, at the very least, grateful that she'd insisted on keeping her underwear on… and that things hadn't gone as far as they would have had she not been trying to get him worked up.

"Sabrina?" Ezra called, his voice not reaching above a regular speaking volume.

"Ezra, don't, I'm still hardly dressed."

He got up and walked over to the door, easing it closed when she wasn't right outside.

"I was just trying to tell if she was still there," he said. "Don't get upset – it's not a big deal."

"If she's out there, she can stew in embarrassment for all I care. You at least still had clothes on. That was mortifying."

"I'm sure she didn't think anything of it –"

"Ezra, I was _naked_ ," Aria said.

Ezra moved closer to where she was now standing at the stairs, one hand braced against the banister, the other resting on her hip. He looked at her with humor in his eyes. "Believe me, Aria, I know. You were not nearly naked enough."

She lifted one eyebrow, not finding the humor in the situation, but also not able to deny the fact that she was still in the mood. Ezra could see the look flitter across her face and he came forward, bringing her in to him.

"You look good with my shirt on," he said, taking her by the waist.

"You look good without it," she countered.

Just as she was about to capture his mouth in another kiss, Sabrina was pounding on the door again.

"Can you give us a minute?" Ezra said, his voice loud, this time having the right amount of irritation.

"That's it," Aria said, walking down the stairs and back toward the living room in search of her pants. "I'm going to kill her. This is how it ends for me – pregnant, unmarried, and in jail for killing your airhead of an employee."

Ezra looked at her as she retreated into the other room with an expression that clearly implied he was not amused by the joke.

"That's not funny," he called after her.

He opened the door with force.

"Dear god, pray tell, what was so important that you had to come back?"

Sabrina had been leaning against the opposite wall, her arms crossed, but at the tone of Ezra's voice, she threw her hands out in exasperation.

"I just thought you'd like to know that the whole of Rosewood could hear you two going at it up here."

Ezra's face visibly dropped. "Fuck," he said.

"Yeah, I'd say," Sabrina shot back. "You're welcome."

Aria walked up behind Ezra, still wearing his shirt, but with the addition of her jeans.

"And you're like, _really_ pregnant," Sabrina said in amazement. She pushed herself off the wall.

"Thank you," Aria said. "I hadn't noticed."

"Now that I know, I'm just surprised I didn't notice before. You're so… tiny. It seems obvious now. Look, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"That was different," Aria said, defending herself. "We weren't in our _home_."

"No, you were in the office… of my place of work… on the desk that I sometimes use."

"All right, all right… That's enough, really," Ezra said, motioning for both of them to stop arguing. "Sabrina, we are incredibly sorry. We obviously had not considered how the sound may carry downstairs. It was inconsiderate. It won't happen again. I'm going to put a new shirt on and I'll be down in a minute to help out."

She rolled her eyes and shoved her hands in her pockets. "I don't care if you guys have sex, just keep the noise down. And keep it out of the work area? Please, for my benefit…"

"That is a totally reasonable request," Ezra said, now mortified himself. He looked at Aria expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

"We'll try to reel it in," Aria said. Ezra continued to look at her, his eyes growing in size. "I'm sorry," she added, mostly for his benefit.

Sabrina nodded. She was debating saying something and at the last second she looked between them both and chose to speak. "I'll try to be more observant the next time I'm about to enter a room. I'm not very good at reading certain situations."

Aria gave her a tight-lipped smirk and reached in front of Ezra, taking the door from him and pushing it closed. Before it met with the fame, she sighed and cocked her head. Sabrina had already turned to head back downstairs but that short amount of distance was enough to shake Aria to her senses. She wanted to properly apologize before the moment passed.

"Sabrina," she called, her voice full of regret.

The young woman turned around.

"I'm sorry, you just caught me off guard. I don't want to continue to be rude to you."

"You're fine, Aria, I get it. It was my bad."

Aria slid out into the hallway and brought the door closed behind her.

"Well it was our bad too."

"Thank you," Sabrina said. She stood a moment longer, wondering if Aria had something else to say. "I should probably get back downstairs."

"Right…" Aria trailed off. "Just, wait. Before you go… I might occasionally feel a little threatened by you, and I'm sorry. You haven't given me any reason to act that way. It's just an insecurity."

"You don't have to feel that way, Aria," Sabrina offered, "but thank you for telling me."

"About what you said earlier… uh, thank you for taking care of him the way you did. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Well, if it's all the same, I feel like I do. I'd like us to start over."

Sabrina was about half way down the stairs, and Aria was still clinging to the doorknob, but the distance between them seemed shorter after these words had been spoken. Aria felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.

Sabrina nodded her appreciation of Aria's apology but didn't say anything further. As she headed back down the stairs, she swore off ever going into any room where the two of them were alone ever again. That was the second time now that she'd found them in a compromising position, and it wasn't something she was interested in making a routine. She would, however, make an extra effort to make Aria feel at home in the Brew.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I don't know why I love Sabrina's character, but I do. I don't plan on having her in here a _ton_ , but I'm kind of surprised by the number of times I've already included her haha What are your thoughts? She's just interesting... and I think that she has an interesting connection to Aria... I don't know, there's a lot to play with. Anyway, I'm hoping to write a scene with the girls next. I'm kind of intimidated by it, so we'll see how that goes. They all have very different personalities, but four to five characters - girls, at that - is a lot to manage in one scene. We'll have to see how it goes. **

**Let me know what you thought, let me know what you're looking forward to seeing... let me know if you have something specific you'd like to see and I'll do my best to include it. I'm not sure when the next update will be. I write as fast as I can. Reviews help :) the more you chat me up the better.**

 **\- btf**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter is for leighB26 - not because of any specific request, but because she has been a delight and an encouragement. I started out writing for myself, but now I sort of feel like I'm writing for you** **:)** **No pressure, right? I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The room was cool and quiet and there was a muskiness surrounding them. The alarm had just quieted after signaling the fact that it was now ten thirty in the morning, and Aria was sure Ezra had slept right through the noise. To be fair, they'd gotten up much earlier and he had more than earned his sleep. Aria didn't realize it was possible to contort ones legs in so many ways…but somehow they'd managed. After months of feeling tired and sick on an almost constant basis, she was finally gaining back some of her energy.

But, energy gained lead to energy lost. Walking was going to be a feat today…a price she was willing to pay if it meant seeing that look in Ezra's eyes even just one more time.

She rolled over so that she was lying on her side and watched him as he slept. He let out a barely audible laugh. She'd never get over the fact that Hardy hadn't been making that up. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Ezra really laughed in his sleep. After all the times she'd spent the night with him, and it had never happened, she'd ridden it off as a possibility.

That was, until she'd been up at all hours of the night, unable to sleep because of "morning sickness" (which in reality was all-the-time sickness, and especially middle-of-the-night sickness) with nothing to do but watch him. She'd grown quite fond of these moments…when she was awake and he was still sleeping. Watching him sleep was something no one else got the privilege of doing.

When the slight laughter subsided, it was always followed by a whisper of a smile. Aria reached out and gently ran her fingers through this hair, memorizing the way his eyes softened in sleep the second she made contact with his scalp. She wondered what it was he was dreaming of. Slowly, she let her hand trail over his skin, feeling the muscles in his shoulders, his arms. She didn't want to wake him up, but she needed to. He had a Skype appointment with Jillian in an hour and she needed to get ready to meet Spencer for lunch. As much as she wanted to lay in bed with him all day, that wasn't a reality she'd get to enjoy.

When her hand finally reached his chest, she spread her fingers until they were splayed through the wiry hairs that covered his skin. Twisting them gently, just enough to draw him out of his slumber, she inched closer and began to plant kiss after kiss up his arm to his neck. By the time she reached his ear, he was stirring the tiniest bit.

"Good morning," she whispered, her voice heavy.

"Mmm," Ezra mumbled, turning his head so that he was looking at her. "Good morning."

She smiled as she watched him wake up, and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Time to wake up," she said. "Get that lazy butt moving."

"I have been anything but lazy this morning."

"While that is a fair point, it does not change the fact that you only have an hour before Jillian will expect to see you face to face."

He grunted in response, not overly excited about what she'd said. "What are your plans for the day? Remind me how you got out of this Skype call?"

"She's just going over the general marketing plan," Aria said, sticking out her tongue, "and I've got that brunch with the girls today. She told me it didn't matter if I missed this one."

"Well, I'll be jealous that you're out drinking mimosas instead of listening to a boring marketing plan. I thought you all were doing dinner. What changed?"

"Spencer got in early – technically we are still doing dinner and drinks, we've just added brunch…lunch…whatever."

"Why are you saying technically? Are you not going out with them later? Spencer isn't staying in town long, is she?"

"I don't know; I can't go out…pregnant."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Of course you can, you just can't drink alcohol. That doesn't mean you can't go out to dinner. It's not like you all were going to go clubbing or anyway."

"Well," Aria trailed off, still playing with his chest hair, "I don't know how much fun I'll be regardless of what we do. Virgin mimosas at brunch, which pretty much means I'll be drinking a glass of orange juice…and a glass of grape juice at dinner instead of wine. See what I'm saying? You get shipped straight out on the Mom-train as soon as you get knocked up."

"Like I said before, at least you don't have to sit and listen to a boring marketing plan."

"I happen to find the idea of a marketing plan for a book that we wrote very exciting." A hazy look crossed her eyes and Ezra's attention dipped to her lips. He leaned in close but she spoke before he could capture her lips. "If you want, we can trade," she offered. "You can tell the girls you're pregnant and I can talk to Jillian about book tours and promos…"

"As much as I'd love to hear the sarcastic comment Hanna would surely make if I told her I was pregnant, I think we'd better stick to the original plan. I wouldn't look good with a pregnant belly anyway."

"That's true," Aria said giving him a quick kiss before rolling off him.

She laid on her back for a moment playing with her engagement ring.

"How do you think I look with a pregnant belly?" she asked, pulling up the tank that was covering her.

She let her hands trail over the slight bulge that was there. She honestly wasn't _very_ big at all – not yet at least – but her naturally small frame did make what _was_ there stick out without any shadow of a doubt. Not even bloating could be used as an excuse at this point. She was still small, but past the point of hiding.

Ezra reached out and held his hand to her belly. His hand was warm and the second it made contact with her naked skin, she swore she felt a fluttering – though she couldn't be sure if it'd come from her belly or her heart.

"Did you feel anything just now?" she asked, sitting up just a little, propping her back against the pillows. She poked and prodded just the slightest bit. "Was that you, baby?" she asked, her voice getting pinched, as if she were talking to a puppy…or a baby. She looked to Ezra, trying to read his reaction. "I thought I felt the baby move," she said, still feeling for something else.

"If they were moving, I missed it," he said, sounding a little let down.

"I don't know that they were…" Aria said, switching to gentle strokes rather than the subtle jabs. "The doctor said I'd barely be able to feel it at first anyway. Who knows…"

"I'm sure you'll be able to tell for sure when it does happen," Ezra said. "You'll just have to be feeling for it now that you think they're gettin' busy down there."

Aria scoffed. "Let's please not make jokes about our baby 'gettin' busy'."

"That's not what I meant," he immediately corrected, trying to ease out whatever quick offense he'd caused. "He or she is simply making more room. I was just teasing."

"Do you think we made the right call, not finding out the gender? Sometimes I wish I knew if it was a boy or a girl. What do you want?"

He shifted the pillow beneath his head until he was hugging it to his cheeks, looking at her from his side. "Hmm…" he let it trail on for a moment, looking between her eyes. "A little girl," he said. "A little tiny baby girl, half you, half me, all love and high maintenance –"

"Hey!" she said, playfully swatting at him.

"You know, we can always ask for them to tell us next time we go in for a check up. We've got an appointment on Monday."

"I know we could…I do want to be surprised though. It's more fun that way."

"It definitely makes it exciting. What do you want?"

Aria didn't have to think about her response. She'd known from the moment she found out she was pregnant that she would be happy no matter what – as long as the baby was healthy, she would be happy – but somewhere in the back of her head or her heart, she'd always been infatuated with the idea of Ezra having a daughter. When she thought of their baby being a girl, she didn't immediately think of taking her shopping or doing their nails together, having special mommy-daughter time. Instead what she thought of was watching Ezra struggle through fixing a pony tail, or heaven forbid trying to braid a dark mass of curly hair. She thought of him tucking their daughter in at night, a little girl in a pink night gown snuggled up at his side, an open book in their laps, and both of them so exhausted they've fallen asleep before the pre-bed routine even has a chance to start.

As she lay there next to him in their own bed, letting these images warm every inch of her, she smiled at the man who would soon be her husband, and who was already the father or her pride and joy.

"I'll be happy no matter what," she said, almost as a disclaimer, "but I'm really hoping we have a girl too."

Ezra moved his hand across the width of her belly so that he was gripping her hip and her to him, capturing her lips and raking his tongue along the roof of her mouth. "I love you," he said into her.

"How do you still have morning breath?" she asked when he pulled away. His face fell a faction of an inch.

"I brushed my teeth the first time you woke me up, but that was hours ago. You can't hold that against me."

"I guess that's fair," she said. She leaned in and stuck her nose right up against his, then whispered, "I'll try to look past it."

"You better; you don't smell so great yourself."

Aria scoffed but Ezra pulled her in with renewed vigor, forcing them both to look past any lingering morning breath.

The two stayed like that, locked in each other's arms for the better part of ten minutes before duty called and Aria had to pull away in order to make it to the bathroom before her bladder betrayed her.

Once they were both up, it was hard to ignore the guilt that would come with sneaking back into bed. As much as they'd both like to pretend like they were sick and stay home all day, holed up in their little apartment with nothing but the other to keep them occupied, there was a lot riding on the day ahead.

As Aria ascended the stairs to the Radley, she thought back to one of the last times she'd gotten together with the girls for brunch. It had been just shortly before Ali's family drama had died down, before they'd been released from their near-decade's worth of A-related tortures, and just before everyone had split up once again so that they could all return to their past lives. They'd been celebrating friendship, and Aria's recent engagement.

Now, just months later, they had new reason to celebrate. It was just…the rest of them didn't know that yet. When Spencer had called Aria and mentioned that she'd be in town to visit her mom and had suggested everyone get together for dinner, Aria had jumped on board. It was the perfect way to get them all together. It was important to her that she tell them all at once, and that she tell them in person. Too many things had been said over text that couldn't be trusted, and a phone call, while more personal than a text, still lacked a certain…je ne sais quoi.

Just before she went to pull the giant front door, which would send her full-force into whatever whirlwind awaited, Aria took a moment to assess her appearance in the reflection. Ezra had helped her decide what to wear today, and bless his heart, he'd done his best to boost her spirits as they'd searched through the closet.

The weather was growing cooler which meant that she was finally able to wear draping scarves and loose-fitted sweaters. However, it wasn't so cold that a giant knit pullover was acceptable at all times. She'd been able to get away with it off and on, but for this specific outing…it just wasn't going to fit the bill. She needed something that would hide the belly until she was able to tell the girls, but she didn't want it to be obvious that she even had something to hide to begin with. Spencer was always perceptive, no matter the situation. Emily and Hanna had their own moments, but Aria was more confident that she'd be able to slide this past them than she was Spencer. Though she hadn't seen Spencer in weeks, they talked often enough that Aria was pretty sure the other half of Team Sparia knew something was up.

Soon enough, it wouldn't matter what she suspected – she'd know for sure. Then, the only thing left for her to do would be pass judgment. Either she'd conclude that Aria and Ezra were ready for a baby, or they weren't. It wasn't Spencer's place to decide either way, but that wouldn't stop her from making her opinions known.

The small woman that stared back at Aria in the reflection on the glass looked as pulled together as ever, and it gave Aria sense of ease to know that from the outside, the feeling of unease she'd been carrying around wasn't as obvious as it felt.

She had basic black leggings on, the maternity waist hardly a maternity waist at all, which made her feel significantly more confident. Ezra had picked out her top which was flowy and hung well at the chest so that it didn't hug too tightly against her midsection. She'd added the maroon scarf for good measure, hoping that the extra focal point at her neck would detract from the focal point at her waist. All insecurities aside, she felt good, and she felt like she _looked_ good.

She took a deep breath as she pulled open the door and stepped inside, reminding herself that she really was excited to tell them. She just felt guilty that she'd waited so long. If she could make it through telling Ella and Byron, this was going to be a piece of cake. She wasn't even going to think about the fact that they'd yet to tell the Fitzgerald's. That was a conversation she was gladly pushing to the very back of her mind. That ball was in Ezra's court. Not hers.

The sound of Aria's boots clicked through the lobby as she made her way over to the restaurant. There was a hostess standing at the entrance, and Aria flashed the woman a kind smile before saying hello.

"Welcome to The Radley," the woman said.

"Hi, thanks, I'm meeting a group of friends…the reservation might be under Hastings, or Marin…it's a party of five..."

"Of course, they're in the back corner," the young woman said, a smile spreading ear to ear. "Allow me to walk you over."

"I'm good, thanks, really," Aria said, trying to cut her off. She didn't need an escort; she'd been there a million times.

"Oh, no, I insist."

Aria rolled her eyes but followed the hostess anyway. As she trailed awkwardly behind her, she shifted her handbag from one arm to the other, trying to find a comfortable position before realizing that the purse had nothing to do with her discomfort.

Hanna saw her approaching first and she was on her feet before Aria even reached the table. Emily and Ali gave her kind smiles, but didn't leap from their seats the way Hanna did. Aria was silently thankful for that.

"Aria," Hanna gushed, "I feel like I haven't seen you in years; how are you?" The blonde reached both arms out and pulled Aria into a warm hug. Just before she pulled her in, Aria moved her purse so that it was sort of awkwardly between them.

She'd avoided a lot of physical contact over the past month. At this point, it was habit to continue avoiding close proximity.

"I'm great," she said with sincerity. "I've missed you guys. What's new?"

Hanna eased off of the smaller girl and took her seat, ignoring her question for the moment. Instead, she directed her attention to the hostess.

"Could we get two sangrias? We're just waiting on one more person."

"I'll have your server bring them by the next time he comes over," she said.

"Oh, no, I'm good," Aria said, flashing the hostess a tight-lipped smile as she moved away, getting ready to take her seat. "I'm going to stick with water for now."

"Oh, come on," Hanna encouraged. "Have one. What else have you got to do today? We're letting loose, I think we deserve it."

Aria looked awkwardly between Hanna and the hostess. "We'll just take the one," she said, "and a water, please."

When hostess walked off, Aria caught Emily making an awkward face at Ali. Aria's face flushed.

"Come on, guys, don't make it a big deal. It's eleven thirty, I haven't had anything to eat yet today, I don't feel like drinking yet." She didn't know why she was implying that she'd feel like drinking later. All she needed to do was wait until Spencer showed up, then she could tell them. "So, Hanna, what's new with you? Have you gotten your big break yet?"

"Well I've only been back for a few weeks…Right now I'm focusing on getting my foot in the door again but I don't even know if we'll be there next month. Did I tell you we're thinking of moving to California?"

"What?" Emily said from across the table.

"Nothing's set in stone yet, we're just thinking about it. Caleb's never loved New York."

The table was large and round, just about the same as every other table at the Radley, and Aria had to squeeze around Hanna to reach one of the two open seats between her and Ali which she assumed were for herself and Spencer.

"Ali, Emily, long time no see," Aria said, winking at both of them. Being that they all three still lived in Rosewood, she ran into them on occasion, however, it had still been a while since they'd gotten together with the explicit intent of enjoying each other's company. "How did that interview go, Em?"

"You had an interview? Where were you interviewing? I thought you liked it here… My mom loves you."

"Yeah," Emily said. "There was a management position that opened up last week; it's still within the bar, nothing crazy. I haven't heard back yet."

"She's too worried about not having a degree," Ali pitched in, squashing Emily's negative tone. "I told her they wouldn't care if she had a degree as long as she was able to prove that she could handle the work load."

Judging by the look that passed between the pair, Aria sensed that this might have been a heated topic at one point or another, and that maybe that was still the case. "Well I'm sure you'll hear back soon," she offered. "They'd be crazy not to hire you. You should have Ezra give you a reference. Better yet, come back and work at The Brew. I'll talk to him about giving you a raise."

Emily chuckled, but didn't look overly thrilled about the idea.

"No offense to either of you, but the only way I'd come back to The Brew is if I owned the place."

"None taken," Aria said. "I'm surprised every day when Sabrina walks through that door."

"Well that's different, she's the manager," Hanna cut in.

"She said she talked to you the other day," Emily said, doing her best to sneak the comment in without raising a stink. "Does that mean you two are getting along a little better now?"

Aria's face scrunched up just a bit near her eyes. "We're trying to play it civilly," she said, "one day at a time."

Hanna reached forward and picked up a glass that was filled with sangria and brought it to her lips. "It's not like you have anything to worry about," she said. "She bakes for the other team."

Emily shot her a look and Aria cleared her throat.

"What?"

"Poor taste, Hanna." Emily looked like she was scolding a five year old who'd just tried to reach for his third cookie after Mommy said no.

"I'm just saying, Aria doesn't need to worry about her making a move on Ezra when she's not even interested in men as a whole. Speaking of lady friends, where is Spencer? I thought the whole reason we got together early was because she was getting in sooner than she'd planned."

"I got a text from her as I pulled in. She should be here in a few minutes," Aria said. "She had to drop something off at the post office first."

They heard her footsteps before they saw her face.

"Speak of the devil," Hanna said.

"I am _so_ sorry I'm late," Spencer said as she rounded the corner. "I didn't have enough stamps so I had to wait and buy more. I don't know why they wanted the proposal snail mailed. Do we live I the digital age or not?"

"My guess is the people you work for forget computers even exist," Ali said.

Spencer pushed her way past Hanna and took the seat between her and Aria. "That's true," she said. Once she was situated, she reached over and pulled Aria in for a hug.

"We have a lot to catch up on," Spencer said. There was a certain light in her eyes that made Aria wonder what it was she thought was going on. All the different possibilities started to roll around in her head. Including the possibility that she was making it all up and Spencer wasn't suspicious of anything.

As she was pulling away from Spencer's embrace, her short hair feel forward, exposing a section of her neck. Hanna tsk'ed and bit her lip.

"Aria, is that a hickey," Hanna asked, giving Aria a look, raising her eyebrows. Aria's hand darted to her neck.

"No," she said quickly.

Spencer reached out and brushed Aria's hair back and immediately burst out laughing. "Okay," she said, her voice deep with sarcasm. "Try again, because that's definitely a hickey. You're engaged, you know. It's okay if you and Ezra get it on."

"God, Spence," said Aria. "Even so, that doesn't mean we have to _talk_ about it."

"Well, I think it's hot," Hanna said. "Do you two role play?" Aria couldn't tell if she was trying to make her feel uncomfortable or if she was just being Hanna. Unfortunately, it was probably both.

"All right, Han, that's enough. Aria doesn't want to talk about her and Ezra's sex life, and to be honest, I don't want to hear about it. He was our teacher." Emily's face was visibly paling as she talked, and Aria was grateful that she'd tried to intervene.

Spencer leaned back with one elbow over the back of her chair and gave Aria a teasing look. "Who needs to role play when you've had the real thing, right Ar?"

Alison, who had been rather quiet up until this point, burst out laughing and quickly tried to cover her mouth. Aria shot her a challenging look but eventually the corner of her lip turned up.

"Okay, shut up guys," she said quietly. "So we get on well, what's it to you?"

"We're just teasing," Spencer said.

Just as Aria was about to open her mouth taking advantage of the topic of sex in hopes that it would be a good Segway to the topic of babies, their waiter came over, placing a sangria in front of Spencer and a water in front of Aria. He was taking orders and the table was still alight with laughter; Aria had a feeling that it would come right back to pithy conversation as soon as he was gone, but she was disappointed she'd missed such a perfect opening.

Sex with Ezra…what better way to ease in the fact that she was carrying his child?

By the time the waiter got to her, she'd narrowed her selections down to three options. She hadn't thought she was very hungry until hearing what the other girls ordered. Suddenly Ali's omelet and Emily's waffles sounded good too. But so did a hamburger. She hadn't had a hamburger since the night Ezra had proposed, but that didn't mean she hadn't wanted one.

"Do you need another minute?" the waiter asked, letting the pencil in his hand relax a little on the notepad. He redirected his attention to Spencer. "How about we skip to you and I come back," he offered.

"Sure, I'll have the… eggs benedict, and…a fruit cup. And a coffee, please," Spencer said.

The waiter took note before moving on to Hanna. "And you?"

Hanna looked to Aria before speaking, checking to see if she was close to ready. "I'll have the summer salad, and…I'd like to add grilled chicken to it."

"Okay," Aria said, looking to the waiter, knowing her time was up. "Don't judge me," she said, even though she knew exactly what would come next. "I'm going get a Belgian waffle with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon, and let's do… sour dough toast, and a smoothie. No, hold the sour dough. Yeah, that should do it." She bit her lip and avoided eye contact with the rest of the table as she handed the menu back to the waiter.

"Would you like the spinach or mixed berry smoothie?"

"Spinach," Aria said quietly. "No berries, please." She picked up her water and leaned back in her chair, sipping from the glass as she waited for someone to say something.

Emily was tucking her hair behind her ear while looking helplessly at Ali, trying to figure out what she could say that would fill the awkward silence. Spencer was picking at one of her nails, and Hanna was playing with the wrapper of her straw.

"Come on," Aria said finally. "I didn't order _that_ much. Did I?"

"Aria, you're fine," Hanna said. She looked up and her eyes caught Ali's without really meaning to. As she spoke her next words, they struck the other blonde a little harder than was really intended. "You eat what you want; the waffles here are great. They're huge, but they're great. You can take your leftovers home. As long as you don't sneak off to the bathroom afterward, I'm not worried."

Aria laughed and sat her water back down. "Well don't count on that not happening," she said. She bit her lip the second the words left her mouth. The words held one meaning for her, but to an unknowing table, they held a very different meaning.

Spencer's neck shot around to look at Aria, which didn't help ease her embarrassment or make her apology any easier.

"That's not a funny thing to joke about," Hanna said. "It's serious, and some of us had to deal with the repercussions of an eating disorder for years," she said. Though she was looking at Aria, her eyes darted across the way toward Ali, unable to hold back the reminder of who had encouraged it.

Aria's face dropped and she reached out across the table, taking hold of Hanna's wrist. "I'm sorry, Han," she said. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Hanna said, brushing it off. She pulled her arm back and threw her bangs out of her eyes. "It's just…not funny. It took me a really long time to get over that."

"Hanna, I am so sorry," Ali said from across the table.

"It's in the past," Hanna said, not letting her finish making apologies or excuses. "Let's leave it there."

"I think that's a good call," Emily chimed in. "Spencer, how are things in Washington?"

"They're good," Spencer said. "By some miracle it didn't take me long to find another job…but I don't like it as much as I liked the other one, and I have even less free time. But, it pays the bills."

"Do you think you'll stay there?" Aria asked. "Do you still want to be in D.C.? Hanna was saying she might move to California."

"Really?" Spencer said, looking to Hanna. "And, uh…Caleb's all right with that?"

Hanna looked awkward for a minute, continuing to play with the straw wrapper. "Yeah," she said, nodding, "it was actually his idea."

"Well good for you guys," Spencer said. "I'm sure Em will be able to show you all the best hangouts."

"I'd love to go back out there," Emily said. "It's so beautiful…you can spend your weekends on the beach, never have to worry about snow, the night life is great…I think you'll like it. Are you sure you're okay leaving New York though? You love New York."

"I want Caleb to be happy too," Hanna said. "I made the mistake of putting myself first once already, and it's not a mistake I want to make again. We need to find a place where we can both be happy."

"Just don't come back to Rosewood," Ali said bitterly. "Nothing ever changes here. It's the same people with the same problems. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I'd moved far, far away."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Aria said. She found herself watching Emily's reaction again, making a mental note to ask her where she and Ali stood. As if on cue, Emily turned with a look of confusion on her face.

"Where else would you want to live?" Emily asked.

Aria watched the look that passed between Emily and Ali. She knew that there was some unresolved tension between them…some feelings that hadn't been hashed out in their entirety.

The first month or so after everyone split up, Aria and Emily had continued to spend a lot of time together. However, as Aria discovered she was pregnant and made the decision to keep that to herself for a while, she'd started distancing herself in a way. The talked in passing and over the phone, but she left face-to-face encounters to chance. Emily hadn't seemed to mind, or even notice, since she had both Ali and Sabrina to keep her company. What Aria couldn't figure out was her relationship to either of the other women. She knew there had been feelings in the past for each of them, but she wasn't sure what latest news was, and she wasn't about to ask when she had her own secrets…and for as much as Aria didn't talk to Emily, she talked to Ali even less.

"I don't know where else I'd want to live," Ali said, her arms folded in front of her, the long cascading blonde hair piled around her shoulders. "Anywhere would be better than here. All this place holds is bad memories."

In a desperate attempt to redirect the conversations, Spencer turned to Aria. "What about you and Ezra. What are your plans for the future? Have you set a definitive date?" Spencer took a break from her barrage of questioning only long enough to sip her sangria. "Do you think you'll move anytime soon or does he want to stay here?"

Aria cleared her throat, placed her hands on either side of her chair, and scooted forward a little, uncrossing her legs and bouncing her knees just slightly. She let a smile creep up over her face as she thought of what she knew to expect for her future. This was it, and she was so excited to tell them that she was afraid her face was going to give it away before she could spit it out.

"Well," she said, "since you asked…we did set a date for the wedding. Right now the plan is next summer; June 23."

"That seems so far away!" Spencer said. "I know you've always talked about a summer wedding, but I really thought you'd go for this fall, or early winter. I feel like you and Ezra have been together forever. You're really going to wait another, what, ten months?"

"They're already practically married," Emily said.

Aria laughed, more out of happy nervousness than Emily's comment. "Well…we have been tossing around the idea of eloping over the next few weeks, something short and sweet to make it official but…in terms of an actual wedding, something's sort of…come up, recently." Aria spoke slowly, easing her way into what she had to say. "If we're going to do a full-blown wedding, ceremony, reception, the works…we want to wait until after the baby," she said.

What she said hit them each at different moments, and Aria thoroughly enjoyed watching the realization wash over each of them. Ali seemed to be in a state of disbelief, as if she'd misheard, or as if Aria was teasing. She was smiling, but the fact that her eyebrows were wrinkled together gave her uncertainty away. Hanna let out a shrill squeak and threw both of her hands over her mouth at the same time that Emily burst out, "oh my god, Aria!"

Aria bit her lip in an attempt to keep her smile somewhat contained. There was one person who'd yet to let out some type of reaction, and it was the person whose opinion she valued most, next to Ezra and probably Ella.

"Spence," she said slowly, leaning so that her back was toward Ali and she was now facing Spencer straight on. "Say something? I know we've talked a million times, and I wanted to tell you but…"

At the sound of Aria's words, Spencer let out a choked sob and threw herself forward, enveloping her small friend in a huge hug. Aria leaned into Spencer's arms with, pouring every ounce of love an apology she had into that one single gesture.

"You're not kidding, right?" she asked through tears and hair. "You wouldn't tease about something like this?"

"Nope," Aria said with a laugh. "Eleven weeks in the hole."

Spencer pulled back a little and gave Aria a once over. "I couldn't even tell; you're so tiny!"

"Oh, no I'm not," she said. "Want to see how not tiny I've become?" She scooted back and stood, pulling her shirt taught over her midsection. "There is very much a baby in there. I have the receipt for these pants to prove it."

"That _was_ you at the mall the other day, wasn't it?" Emily said. "I thought I saw you and your mom walking around last weekend but I was all the way on the other side of the building and you were coming out of Motherhood so I figured it was just somebody that looked like you." She paused for a minute, thinking about what she was saying. "What were you doing all the way out there? That mall is like, _hours_ away."

Aria didn't get the chance to answer because the waiter was approaching with a tray and half their dishes, followed closely behind by a waitress and another tray.

"Jeez, this makes more sense now," said Hanna, looking at the stack of plates that were piled in front of Aria. "You're eating for two."

"Baby Fitz has a terrible appetite," Aria said. She was overcome with happiness. Being able to openly share what had been going on in her life over the past eleven weeks made her feel like she could conquer the world. And incredible weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "And by terrible I mean that I have wanted to eat everything in sight for days and it only stays down half of the time. Fruit is not our favorite thing. However, we do love grease…and meat. There is no doubt this is Ezra's baby."

"Yeah, I noticed the bacon but I wasn't going to say anything," Spencer said, still wiping away at her tears, a huge grin still plastered across her face. "God, I'm so happy for you. You're going to be the best mom. Are you excited?"

"How is Ezra doing?" Ali asked.

The waiter and waitress were nearly done setting plates down around the table, and Aria did her best to respond through their tangle of arms while still being respectful of their presence.

"We're both extremely excited," Aria said, "thank you," she added as the waiter placed her smoothie down next to her water. "We know the timing isn't ideal, but at the same time…it's been a running joke that we were able to make it this long without getting pregnant, so, in all reality, this is a great time compared to what it could have been."

"Shit, I hadn't even thought of that," Spencer added. "What would your mother have said if you came home pregnant in high school?"

"Nothing – you were the one dating her English teacher," Aria said, sticking out her tongue.

"Ha-ha," Spencer said dryly. "That was not a fun time. I love you, you know I do, but I am not interested in taking the fall for your bad decision making."

"Well relax, she only thought you were the slut for a few days."

"She did _not_ think you were a slut, Aria," Spencer said, tilting her head. "I was joking when I said that."

"I know you were," Aria cut back, "I'm joking too. Relax, it's all good. Ella is really excited about being a grandma."

They were all digging in to their plates and though the conversation did not die down completely, the table did grow quieter. They chatted for a long time about plans regarding the baby and the wedding – did they know the sex yet? Were they going to pick godparents? Was Aria going to take Ezra's last name? What about the baby?

They were all questions Aria had expected, and she was so glad to finally discuss them with her closest friends. When their plates were finally empty, and Aria had what was left of her waffle packed away in a box, Spencer brought up the question of later that evening.

"So do we still want to go in to Philly for dinner and drinks, or do you want to do something else since preggers here refuses to drink any alcohol?"'

"Please don't change plans just because of me. I can't even promise I'll be able to stay up as late as you all would want to. I feel like all I do is sleep."

"We all know that's a lie," Hanna said, winking. "Remember, we saw your little token of late night activities."

Aria scoffed. "Who on earth said I got this in the middle of the night?"

"Ohhhhhh," Spencer said, sarcastically half-covering her mouth, "burn, Han. Those two are full on domestic, but you should know better." She looked at Aria and squinted her eyes before lifting her chin a little. "Mid morning, right before you left, a quickie to get the day started on the right foot," she said, her eyes now little slits and the corner of her mouth pulled up in a wicked grin. "I think I've earned the place of both Maid of Honor and God Mother."

"Not fair," Emily said, "you two have been best friends since kindergarten, you can't pull trump cards like that."

"What about me knowing when those two like to get frisky has anything to do with who I was friends with in Kindergarten?"

The waiter came back with their checks and Spencer reached out for Aria's before she had the chance to take it off the table.

"No, Spence," Aria said, reaching for the bill. "I can't let you pay for me; that bill can't be any less than thirty dollars."

"It's my treat. Congratulations, my tiny friend. You're going to have a tiny baby, and I want to treat you both."

Aria's shoulders sank as she looked at Spencer. She had _missed_ her _terribly_. The aching in her heart at seeing her after all these weeks apart was only growing stronger as she thought of the fact that she'd be leaving again soon. She loved each of her friends dearly, but she and Spencer had a special bond.

"Thank you," she said quietly. The other three girls had stopped paying attention and were tallying out their tips as well.

"You're welcome," Spencer said with a smile. "It's my pleasure."

It was eventually decided that instead of going out that night, they'd reconvene for coffee the next day. Spencer was going to be in town until Sunday evening, and any possibility of the whole group getting together to do anything that night had been squashed after Emily was hijacked by one of the other Radley barkeeps. Emily was doing better financially, but the offer of an extra shift that night was too good to pass up.

Hanna, Ali, and Emily were all parked in one direction, and Spencer and Aria were parked in the other. Spencer and Aria stood on the sidewalk for a moment, watching the other three head off down the road.

"What's up with Em and Ali?" Spencer asked once they were out of earshot.

"I don't really know," Aria said. "I've been wondering the same thing. The early autumn sun was warm on their backs and it was beginning to smell like fall.

"I've got a proposition," Spencer said. "If Ezra can do without you for the night…come over for one last slumber party. Just the two of us…I've missed my best friend. We can gossip and do each others nails and talk about guys…"

"I would love that," Aria said. "I'll bring popcorn, and old movies, you bring the nail polish and face masks?"

"It sounds like a date." Spencer held the strap of her purse, her blouse billowing around her arms in the light wind. She looked to her feet then back up at Aria. "You know, there's no one quite like you in D.C."

"There's no one quite like you in Rosewood." Aria tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Except for right now, of course. Wanna make the most of it?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'll see you around eight?"

"That sounds perfect," Spencer said. She walked Aria to her car and leaned in the open window as Aria buckled in. The seat belt pressed against her, framing the baby and Spencer was lost for a second in thought. Aria watched as something darted behind Spencer's eyes, thinking that she'd have to watch her later to see if something bigger was troubling her. "I'm really glad you're home for a few days, Spence. I missed you."

Spencer moved her attention back up to Aria's face and Aria could see the glistening of a few tears at the rim of her eyelids. "I've missed you too, Ar. More than you know."

* * *

 **A/N: So I feel like this was sort of a highly anticipated chapter, if only because the girls are finally in it... I'll tell you what, Aria had a lot of people left to tell about this baby! I'm glad that it's (mostly) all out in the open. Hopefully her conversation with them, and the way she announced it was satisfactory enough. I thought of a few gimicky type things but none of them felt natural enough for the story I'd started, so I figured something simple and honest was the best route to take.**

 **What do you think will happen next? I'm feeling some Team Sparia vibes coming on... do we want a little Ezria in between, or should we dive right in to Sparia? I love them both :) for different reasons... Leave a review and let me know what you thought. As always, thanks for taking the time to read this.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Aria first walked in the door, she thought Spencer might burst into tears. She enveloped her in a hug that was so tight, Aria was worried she wouldn't let go.

"Hey," she said quietly, running her hands along Spencer's back as she returned the hug. "You doing all right?"

Spencer pulled away. "Yeah, yeah," she replied. "I'm just happy to see you."

"It's only been six hours," Aria said, letting her words trail off at the end. She wasn't at all convinced there wasn't more going on.

"I was worried Ezra wasn't going to let you out of his sight."

Spencer's heels clunked as she made her way across the room and into the kitchen. Aria followed her, dropping her bags by the couch as she passed.

Spencer had truly gone all out for their "slumber party" (if one could really call it that…they were both far past the age of slumber partying). She could smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen and the living room floor was covered in a hodgepodge of blankets and pillows.

"Are we making a fort tonight?"

"Only if you want things to get weird," Spencer said over her shoulder with a wink.

Aria framed her belly, accentuating the roundness that was there and lowered her voice, feigning a seductive tone. "I mean, I _am_ already pregnant; what's there to lose?" She raised her eyebrows a few times and was pleased when Spencer's face broke out in a smile. "Something smells nice."

"Thanks – it's nothing much. Just baked chicken with a honey barbecue glaze."

"That's fancier than what we make for dinner."

"Do your Saturdays still consist of vegan takeout?"

"No," Aria said, sticking her finger in the sauce and bringing it to her lips. She sucked it off her finger and closed her eyes. "That's moved to Sunday. Saturdays are for Chinese food and Fridays are pizza. This is really good, Spence."

"And what do you do during the week?"

"Whoever gets home first cooks one of the three dishes we know how to make."

The timer went off and Spencer moved around Aria to open the oven, hitting the timer as she opened the door. "Wait…" She reached two mitted hands in and pulled out a covered dish. "You only know how to make three dishes? You're pregnant, you should be eating better."

She turned around to see Aria's head cocked with a look on her face.

"I'm exaggerating," Aria said. "Ezra and I have been practicing a lot of new recipes. We eat well enough. You didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me."

"I wanted to," Spencer said. She brought over the dish and started brushing more barbecue sauce onto the chicken. "I just hope you're hungry."

"Trust me. If there's one thing growing a whole human will do, it's make you hungry." She gave it a moment of thought before adding, "if there's another thing it'll make you do, it's throw up. The two often go hand in hand."

All through dinner, Aria and Spencer talked about what had been happening in the few weeks they'd been apart. Though it wasn't longer than a few months, it felt like years had gone by. So much had changed for Aria that Spencer felt like she hardly knew her anymore. They talked briefly about wedding plans, and what would change or what would stay the same now that there was another little life in the mix. Spencer listened with earnest as Aria gushed over how excited she was to be having a baby. Spencer knew well that this was something Aria had been dreaming of for years and she was excited to see the look of pure joy that crossed her face.

However, as Aria watched Spencer's expression during their conversation, she could see that there was something hiding behind her eyes.

"Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?" Aria asked. She was playing with her fork, drawing little designs with the barbeque sauce that was left on her plate. The room grew quiet and Spencer diverted her attention as soon as Aria spoke, trying as best she could to avoid the topic. "Whatever it is – you know you can tell me, right?"

Spencer reached out and took a sip of her water, still not answering. Aria bit her lip and wondered how much she should press the conversation. She decided that it was probably best if the evening wasn't ruined by her persistence. If Spencer wanted or needed to talk, she would, and it was Aria's place to listen. Not to drag it out of her.

"I saw that pile of movies on the coffee table," she offered as a secondary topic of conversation. "I thought I was in charge of entertainment. Are all of those options for tonight or are you saving a few for a hot date?"

Relief washed over Spencer and Aria relaxed, thankful that she'd opted for the less intrusive route.

"You are my hot date," Spencer said, laughing. "I don't have the time or energy for men. I got really excited about our night and decided to run by the library after I left this morning. I ended up checking out the entire comedy section. Or at least most of it. I've really needed this—thanks for coming over tonight."

"Of course," Aria said with a smile. "I was really glad that we didn't have to go out. I've been looking forward to seeing you guys, but I'm not going to try and paint a prettier picture or anything. Pregnancy and night life haven't proven to be two things I can handle simultaneously."

"Well no one would have suggested going out if we'd known you were pregnant!"

"Speaking of the avocado, my back is starting to hurt. Can we move this party into the living room? I'm dying to get my hands on one of those pillows."

They cleaned the table of plates and leftovers before they each made a cup of coffee and made themselves comfortable on the couch. Aria's phone vibrated and she took it out of her pocket, sliding the screen to open the message.

 _I miss my two favorite people,_ it read.

She smiled to herself and began typing a response. _We miss you too_.

"Is that Ezra?" Spencer asked from across the way.

"Yeah," Aria replied. "He's just checking in."

"That's sweet."

Aria settled into the couch, kicking her shoes off and propping her feet up on the coffee table. She gently let her mug rest atop her belly and leaned her head back.

"You have your own little shelf," Spencer said with a nod.

Aria chuckled. "I know; it's kind of nice." She smiled and looked down, running her fingers lightly over her t-shirt. "I can't believe I'm going to be solely responsible for a whole human in a matter of five months."

There was a beat before Spencer said anything, but when she did, her voice was soft, gentle and loving. "You're already responsible for a whole human and you're doing a great job. I mean, look at you—you're the only thing standing between it and the whole world. But you're not alone. You know that, right? You have Ezra, you have your mom…you have me."

"I know," Aria said. "You're not here anymore though." Aria's voice cracked a little as she spoke and she turned her head, looking up to the ceiling instead of at Spencer. "I'm sorry," she offered. "It doesn't take much to make me cry anymore."

Spencer immediately sat her coffee down on the table in front of her and moved from her seat on the floor to sit beside Aria on the couch. She wrapped an arm around her friend and started shaking her head with sincerity. "Hey, hey, hey," she said, "no crying at slumber parties. Ali's not even here, so there's no reason you should feel upset."

That helped a little and Aria let out a laugh. "That was low," she said, even though she found it funny.

"It's not anything when it's the truth."

Aria's phone buzzed again, but this time she just quickly read the message, not taking the time to reply. _The bed's too big without you_ , he said.

Aria suddenly missed him more than she thought she would, considering it was only one night, and she'd see him bright and early in the morning. She hadn't slept away from him since getting pregnant though, and it hit her that this was the first night away for both of them…for all three of them, really. Her thoughts didn't help to stop the tears that were already starting to spill forth.

"It's just the baby," she said to Spencer who was still looking on with uncertainty. She let out a disheartened laugh and an exhausted breath. "I cry at least three times a day, all over silly, stupid, trivial things. My body is a mess, I'm huge, I'm emotional…Last week, Ezra came home a little later than usual and he brought me flowers, and for some reason I burst out in uncontrollable, messy, ugly tears. Spencer, I'm not even _me_ anymore."

"Okay, stop right there," Spencer said. She drew back and turned so that her legs were crossed in front of her. She took the coffee cup out of Aria's hands and sat it beside her own, then taking both of Aria's hands, she gave them a squeeze until Aria was looking at her directly in the eye. "You're making a whole human," she said. "Probably the tiniest human in the world, considering the fact that you're barely tall enough to ride any of the rollercoasters at Hersheypark…but it's still a _whole_ human."

Aria let out a snort and Spencer smiled, but she didn't let go of her hands just yet.

"I know you're probably worried about what kind of parent you'll be…how you'll juggle raising a child, being a wife, working, having a social life…but when you have this baby, you're going to realize that it's everything you've ever wanted, and I know you won't be able to imagine life any other way. Aria, you've been dreaming of this for years."

"It's a lot scarier when it's right in your face," Aria countered. "We've talked about kids, but…somehow it always seemed like it was years down the road. We're not even married yet, and we're talking about what cribs to buy, and diapers, and we're making OBGYN appointments. Spencer, I'll be lucky if I can have sex on the night of my wedding."

"Hold up, why won't you be able to have sex?"

"I'm going to be ripped and torn to pieces after giving birth," Aria said, pulling her hands away and rubbing them along her belly. "Sorry," she whispered, more to her unborn child than her best friend. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited; so, so excited, but this is not at all what I had planned. I'll probably still have a little bit of a belly, too. Not exactly the way you want to look when you're about to have sex for the first time with your husband."

"I'm gonna stop you there," Spencer said. "First of all, you're not fooling anyone. Even if you weren't _pregnant_ at the moment, no one would believe that you and Ezra have never had sex before. The whole world can see the way you look at each other. Sorry to burst your bubble. We all know you're fucking like rabbits."

"Spencer!" Aria's eyes were huge, but there was a light behind them that gave her away.

"Second of all, I know Ezra well enough to know that any weight you keep after having the baby—which by the way, I'm sure will be next to none—is only going to make him love you more. You're carrying his _child_. Do you know what that does to a man?"

Aria bit her lip. Spencer was making a lot of sense. These were the conversations Ella had tried to tell her she'd need her friends for. She was right. A huge part of Aria had been missing since she'd started keeping this secret from Spencer and the other girls, and little by little, she was regaining full access to the world of conversation that only existed between friends.

"Things don't always work out the way we plan them, Aria," Spencer said, "and a lot of times, the life we end up getting after living through hell is far better than anything we could have ever dreamed up on our own. You and I know that better than most people."

Spencer leaned her head along the back of the couch, still sitting sideways so that she was facing Aria's profile. She looked on at her tiny friend and seeing the bulge of her belly took her to a place she'd been several times already that day. For a moment, she was sitting in her dorm room across from Toby, both of them nervously awaiting the sound of the alarm on her phone, neither of them sure what direction their lives would be headed in at the end of just a few, short minutes. They'd felt like the longest minutes of her life, and they'd been so telling.

"I feel like I want to ask you if you're one hundred percent sure that you want this baby," Spencer started. She wasn't finished with her sentence, but at the reaction Aria had, she knew she should have started with the other half first. Aria's shoulders fell in and her arms wrapped protectively over the small protrusion, her brows furrowing and her lips forming a small, heartfelt 'oh'. Before she could say anything, Spencer rushed to finish. "No, that's not what I'm saying," she said, "If it were me instead, and I was having these thoughts, I'd need to ask myself if I was really sure I wanted a baby. But you're not me, Aria, you're you, and this is _you and Ezra_. This," she held out her hand and placed it along the side of Aria's belly, "this is a little bit of you and a little bit of him. This is everything that's ever been _right_ with your relationship. I know you. You've wanted this since day one."

Spence smiled as she watched Aria's face change. She knew she hit the nail on the head but it was nice seeing those thing reaffirmed for her best friend.

Aria leaned forward and pulled Spencer into her with force, letting a few warm tears spill from her eyes. She was right, and it was nice hearing those words come from someone besides herself.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I needed to hear that."

"I know you did," Spencer said. They were both crying a little now; sappy tears from joy, and just a few from simply being overwhelmed by life. "You better let me be godmother," Spencer said through her tears. She leaned back and wiped at her face. "You know what'll happen if you let Hanna have those responsibilities."

Aria chortled. "Right, like I'd let anyone but you be the godmother of my child." Aria moved back to her previous position on the couch and reached down for a blanket, pulling it up into her lap. "Of course you'll be the godmother. Ezra and I were talking about it last night actually. We were talking about all of you and he asked me if I wanted to give the baby godparents. We're not really Catholic, so it's not like we _have_ to. At first I thought, there's really no point in it…but then I got to thinking. Who knows better than us that you're not always guaranteed a tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer said.

"Well, that's kind of what we ended up talking about. Ezra just meant, you know, giving someone the title, the special privilege of helping us raise this baby to be a good, loving person, but…there's a lot more to being a godparent than just being a support system or having the title; you know? If something were to happen to us, we'd be counting on you, Spence, to raise our son or daughter. I know it's a big responsibility, but…there's no one better for the job."

"Aria, that's—are you sure?" She looked hesitant. "I mean, I'd love to—even if I _weren't_ the baby's godparent, you know I'd take them in with me in a heartbeat…But nothing's going to happen to you. And if it did, wouldn't you want the baby to live with your mom? Wouldn't _she_ want the baby to live with her?"

"It doesn't matter," Aria said, "Ezra and I already decided."

"Who's the godfather?" Spencer asked.

Aria pursed her lips. "Funny you should ask…"

"Oh, no…" Spencer said, knowing exactly where the look on Aria's face was headed. "No, no, no. I know that look, and I'm not interested."

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"But you're going to!"

"Okay, so? What's so wrong with wanting to set you up on a nice date? We could double. Come on, while you're in town? Pretty please? For me?"

"I don't have time to date anyone. Didn't we already go over this?"

Aria pretended to pout, but Spencer wasn't budging. "He's cute…and older." Aria raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I think he'd be good for you."

"Who are we even talking about?"

"A boyyyy..."

"Aria…" Spencer said, warningly. "Come on, does this 'boy' have a name?"

"Yes, he does, and it's Hardy," Aria said. She knew Spencer would remember who she was talking about. They'd never met before, but the name had been thrown around a time or two. She waited hesitantly, trying to gauge Spencer's initial reaction to hearing the name.

"Wait…that's Ezra's best man, right?"

"Uh-huh. They were roommates in college."

"I can't believe Ezra's going to name his college roommate godfather of his baby over his own brother."

Aria threw her hand out, brushing off Spencer's worry. "I'm sure Wes won't care," she said. "He's not in any place to take care of a kid anyway. I love him, don't get me wrong, but he needs to get his life sorted out a little before I trust him with my _child_. BUT. That is beside the point. We're not talking about Wes. We're talking about _Hardy_."

"What kind of name is Hardy anyway?"

"Stop. Don't make cynical comments like that. I know for a fact that all you've heard about him are wonderful things—because I've told you everything you know. Plus, you haven't even met him. He's a nice guy. I think you two would hit it off nicely. He might…break your shell a little."

Spencer pulled her head back slightly.

"I resent that. What do you mean? I don't have a shell."

"Right," Aria said, "and I'm not pregnant." Spencer didn't find the joke funny. "Just…think about it? We don't have to go out this time. But you'll be coming in again soon, I hope? Now that you know your tiny best friend is growing another tiny best friend, you'll come visit more often, won't you?" She started pouting again, but there was real sadness in her eyes.

"You're too good at that," Spencer said.

"I'm not even trying. You should see what I can get Ezra to do after a little effort."

"That sounds like it could go one of two ways," Spencer said. She brushed her hair out of her face. "Sex still good?"

"God, is it ever." Aria seemed to drift into her own little world for a moment and Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't have even asked. When has the sex ever _not_ been good for you guys? Let's put one of these movies in before you give yourself an orgasm just thinking about it…or before it gets too late and I get too tired and can't stay up long enough to finish it. _God_ I need to get laid."

"I'm sure you know who would help you out," Aria said. She raised her eyebrows a few more times, the suggestiveness _very_ evident. Spencer seemed to appreciate her efforts a little more this time; perhaps the thought of casual sex more appealing than an actual relationship.

"Voldemort's not really my type," she said. She leaned forward and grabbed the stack of movies off the table as Aria was thrown into a fit of giggles.

After settling on something very Nicholas Sparks-esque, the two girls made themselves a comfortable bed of pillows and blankets on the floor. Spencer pulled out her collection of nail polishes and they took turns painting each others nails. For a long time, they continued to talk, their voices carrying over the dialogue of the movie, the volume turned so low that even if they had stopped talking, they would have to strain to hear it. By the time it ended and their nails were dry, it was well past midnight and Aria was about two seconds away from sleep.

She and Spencer were just about to head to bed when it happened. Aria suddenly felt a surge of pain shoot through her lower abdomen and she stopped dead in her tracks. Spencer was already in her bedroom, turning down the sheets, and Aria was in the hall. She dropped her overnight bag, a few bottles rolling out when it hit the floor. She pulled up the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing and stared at her belly as if there would be an obvious sign as to what she was feeling.

Panic was beginning to set in and it wasn't doing anything to help her think of what needed to be done.

"Spencer," she called out, her voice desperate. She choked back a few tears, her heart pounding away in her chest. "Spencer!"

She ran back to the restroom and bent in front of the toilet, crying out in pain just as Spencer turned the corner at a run.

"What?" Spencer said. She was confused to find Aria bent in front of the toilet, but as she looked on, she noticed a little bit of blood showing up along her inner thigh, bleeding right through the fabric of what she assumed to be Ezra's old boxers. Spencer's face palled at the sight, but she chose not to mention it, knowing that doing so would do nothing to calm Aria.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she dove down to help. They were both ghost-white, and they both looked like they might be sick, but for different reasons. "Aria, talk to me, what's wrong? What's happening?" Spencer stayed there, both knees bent on the tile floor, her hands reaching out to try and somehow feel what was going on.

Aria was gripping both sides of the toilet, silently struggling through the pain. Spencer's heart was pounding. This wasn't happening. Whatever this was, it couldn't be happening. Aria leaned back from the toilet just a bit, but when she did, she noticed the streak of red running down her leg. If she'd been pale before, she was near translucent now. Spencer blanched at the thought of what must be going through Aria's head. She'd do anything to trade her places.

"I need you to call Ezra," Aria said, holding back a sob. "Tell him to meet us at the hospital. I don't know what's wrong, but something's not right," she whispered.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Uh-oh...I decided to leave you with a cliff hanger this time. Remember I did say that there will be plenty of fluff. It can't all be fun all the time though.**

 **Leave a review! I have the next chapter planned out and will try to write and upload it as soon as possible.**

 **To give you some heads up...I got a kitten this week. She sort of found me, but we both needed each other :) She's been taking up a lot of my time and it's hard to write when she's awake. I'm going to keep updating, no worries there, but forgive me if it takes me a little longer between posts. Just know that it's coming.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I realize that if I had any kind of self restraint, I'd keep this chapter to myself for a little while longer...maybe make you wonder what's going on for a week or so. But...I got it written today and this is our last week of PLL for a while, so I figured it might be a nice little treat to get two postings back to back. Just don't get used to it.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who has ever left a review, but especially those who left one after the last chapter; you played a huge part in getting me to write a chapter today.**

* * *

The waiting room was cold and sterile and dark. Spencer was curled up in one of the chairs, her hair a mess, her face shallow and unmoving. She had her knees pulled against her chest and her hands were shoved there between them, folded, one thumb picking lightly at the cuticle of the other. She was deep in thought, and she still wasn't sure if she'd make it through the night without getting sick.

She looked up to the clock on the wall. The hands read four-thirty but it felt later. The sky outside was pitch black with night but there was an eerie haziness to it as well. The promise of rain was palpable.

Rolling her head back, she felt one tiny pop. All she could think about was Aria and what was happening down the hall. For the hundredth time, she heard Ezra's groggy voice run through her mind. There had been a layer of panic from the moment he'd answered. She'd used her own phone rather than Aria's thinking it would somehow make him worry less. Oh, how wrong she'd been.

Now, as she sat all alone, wondering what was going on, dreaming up all the different possibilities, she put herself in his shoes and imagined what it must feel like to be in a similar position. Having to drive to the hospital to meet your pregnant fiancé who you thought was safely asleep at a friend's house.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

Spencer threw both of her legs off the chair and rushed over to the trashcan. As she was passing the hall, she caught a glance at the nurse's station and spotted Ezra. He was on his way down, his features somber. Everything about him looked _tired_ , and it wasn't _just_ because he'd been woken up from his sleep. The need to vomit was amplified at the thought of getting an update but Spencer squelched it down and stayed where she was standing, folding her arms in at her chest.

It was the first time Ezra had left Aria's side since they'd gotten there, the first time he, or anyone for that matter, had come to update Spencer since they'd gotten there, which was approximately three hours ago. She had no idea what was going on. Seeing him walking toward her now either meant something good, or it meant…

"How is she?" Spencer said once he was close enough that he could hear her.

He ran a hand through his hair. It was curly and unkempt, just as heavy with sleep as the rest of his body. He had thrown his clothes on in a hurry, and he'd left the loft in his house shoes. The t-shirt he was wearing had a rip in the underarm, and the zip-up hoodie he'd tossed on over it wasn't nice enough to make up for it. As he stood before Spencer, he played with his cell phone, letting it slide between his fingers as he pushed it off his chest, turned it, pushed it off again.

He took in a deep sigh and walked right past Spencer, knowing she'd follow, and took a heavy seat in one of the waiting room chairs. He waited for her to plop down beside him before he opened his mouth. He shoved his phone in the pocket of his hoodie and rubbed his eyes with both his hands.

"She's healthy," he said, speaking slowly. "She…and Aria," he took in a deep breath and Spencer could see the relief, the happiness, the tired but tangible elation pass through him, "are _both_ healthy and doing _just_ fine." He let out a light laugh followed by the threat of more crying and Spencer's heart nearly broke in two.

Her eyes welled with new tears and the corners of her mouth began to quiver. She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a choked sob. The weight of three hour's waiting escaped through that one breath. Ezra reached out and sat an arm across her shoulders, bringing her into his side. Spencer sank into him, her shoulders shaking as she cried from relief.

"She went into preterm labor…the contractions were far enough apart that they were able to stop them. Thank you, so much, for being there for her tonight," he said.

Spencer let him hold her as she let the news spread through her, calming and quieting every inch of her body that had been overrun by terrible thoughts of a miscarriage, premature birth, or other messy complications.

"God, don't thank me," she said finally. "She should have been with you."

"This would have happened tonight regardless of who she was with, regardless of where she was sleeping. She was severely dehydrated, probably from all the morning sickness and the fact that she _refuses_ to stop drinking coffee. Which…by the way, we've _got_ to fix. Keep her on a strict H2O diet when she's with you, okay? Juices are fine, but no soda, no coffee."

He let go of her shoulders but gave her a teasing glance as he leaned away. Spencer chuckled, knowing that Aria's caffeine addiction was both of their faults. She took the sleeve of her jacket and dabbed at her eyes.

"So it's a girl?" she asked.

Ezra smiled and nodded. He was resting one elbow along the arm of the chair and had his chin propped up in his hand, but he was staring across the room and out the window at the night sky. He was lost in thought. Lost _deep_ in thought, and Spencer couldn't imagine the countless number of things running through his mind. He came out of himself a little and leaned back against the chair, but his eyes were still locked on the window.

"As soon as they'd stopped her contractions and were finished running all the tests we asked if they could take a minute to let us know the sex." He trailed off for a second. "I think tonight did a good job of scaring us both into needing a little something extra to hold on to."

Spencer nodded and slumped into her chair too. She couldn't claim to be _just_ as exhausted as Ezra, but she could claim to be close to it. Aria was like a sister to her and after only one day of knowing of it's existence, that baby had already wrapped itself around her pinky finger. She had a huge soft spot for Aria and Ezra, and she'd do anything for their little family. The thought of watching Aria lose her baby—or worse, a possibility that had crept into her mind after about an hour of no news, the thought of losing _Aria_ —neither were thoughts Spencer wanted to find herself thinking again.

"I want you to know that she'll always have a home and someone who loves her, as long as I'm around," Spencer said quietly. "Both of them, really, but specifically the baby. Aria's stronger than anyone I know, but I think she's more worried about impending motherhood than she lets on. I just want you to know that…if anything were to happen, I'm here for the long hull too."

Ezra finally tore his eyes away from the window and looked back at the young woman sitting beside him. He leaned forward so that both his elbows were on his knees and folded his hands there between them, framing his nose with his pointer fingers and letting his chin rest on his thumbs. At first, he'd thought she was talking about Aria, but he quickly realized the 'she' Spencer had been referring to was his daughter.

 _His daughter_. _His baby girl_.

A new set of tears began to cloud his vision and he didn't do anything but nod, not facing Spencer for fear of losing control in front of her. Even though he'd been in the room or just outside the door the whole time didn't mean his thoughts hadn't been riddled with the same horrible possibilities as Spencer's.

There was silence between them, but as Spencer watched Ezra's back begin to shake, she felt the need to lend her comfort. She reached out and returned his gesture from a few moments ago, placing an arm at his back, and rubbing her hand between his shoulder blades.

"We're a mess," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears and bitter laughter. "How can two such _tiny_ people make this much impact?"

Ezra smiled and leaned back, causing Spencer's hand to slide back into her lap. "I have asked myself that more times than I can count."

They sat in shared silence; each of them wishing this wasn't where their night had ended up, but both glad it hadn't gone further or in a different direction.

"Can I go see her?" Spencer asked finally.

"Yeah," Ezra said. He smoothed over the knees of his flannel pajama bottoms and stood. "I'll walk you back there. I told them you were her sister. Just in case anybody asks."

Spencer nodded and followed him down the hall. When they were standing outside her door, Spencer held out a hand and stopped Ezra from reaching for the handle.

"Wait," she said. He looked at her in confusion.

"You said they're both fine, but…there was a lot of blood. Do they know where that was coming from? Why was she bleeding?"

Ezra retracted his hand. "Lack of fluids aside, they're both doing well. I don't think there was as much blood as it seemed; some spotting is normal throughout a pregnancy, though this did seem like it was a little more than normal. It was probably just a symptom of the preterm labor, but they told us it's nothing to worry about if we're careful these last few months. The doctor said it was all probably just from stress, but she's been put on bed rest in case it turns into anything else."

"God," Spencer said. She parted her lips a little, breathing in and out as she tried not to let herself cry again. She ran a finger under each eye, trying to make herself look pulled together—or at least _not_ like she'd spent the past three hours an uncontrollable mess. "I feel like this is my fault."

"It's no one's fault, Spencer. You were with her for maybe four, five hours tops? I've been with her the whole time. She's pregnant. These things happen. They're scary as hell, and they don't always turn out like tonight, but they happen." He waited a moment until it looked like she'd gained most of her composure. "Are you ready?"

She swallowed and licked her lips, nodding. "Is there anything I should know before I talk to her?"

"No," Ezra said.

He hadn't spent a lot of one-on-one time with Spencer, but of all of Aria's friends, she seemed to be most in tune with what was best for Aria, she seemed to have genuine, lasting interest in her, and he was glad to know she was there for her without any hesitation. When Aria had come home earlier that day telling him she had made a plan to stay with Spencer that night, he hadn't thought twice about it. He knew Aria needed her friends, but she needed Spencer specifically.

Seeing the other half of that equation now, he realized the same probably went both ways.

"She's probably ready to rest, but I think she was going to wait to sleep until after she talked to you," he added.

This seemed to give Spencer the encouragement she needed. "Okay. Then I'm ready."

Ezra reached out again and pushed the door open. Aria was positioned on the bed in a way that made her look much smaller than she really was. There were IVs hooked up to her, monitors blinking, machines chirping, and the white thermal blanket that covered her topped it all off. She looked exhausted, but she smiled lazily when she saw them.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi, beautiful," Ezra said, stepping forward and taking a seat at her side. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but good," she said. "I can't believe how much better I feel already. I didn't even realize what I was feeling wasn't normal." Ezra reached out and laid a hand atop her belly, rubbing it back and forth in a loving gesture. Aria looked lazily between Ezra and Spencer. "Did you tell her?" she asked him. She looked up at Spencer then patted the other side of the bed where there was a sliver of space, just enough for her to take a seat.

"She's going to be a handful, I hope you're ready," Spencer said. She stayed standing.

Aria beamed and let out a deep breath. "She can do whatever she wants as long as she stays healthy."

"I agree, one hundred percent," Ezra echoed. He stretched out so that he was propped up on his side, his head hovering above Aria's knee. "They want you to stay the rest of the night. I'm going to call your mom and dad, let them know what happened, that you're fine, check with the nurses to see if there's anything we should watch for as you sleep…do you need anything? Feeling hungry?"

Aria smiled, but shook her head. "I'm good for now," she said. "When you call Ella, make sure you open by saying everything's fine. Don't lead with the fact that I'm in the hospital—and don't tell her the sex of the baby yet either. I don't think I want anyone else to know for a while."

"Can do," he said. He pushed forward and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Spencer watched Aria's eyes close as he did so. Her body seemed to physically relax at his touch, and the lazy smile, which had graced her features a moment ago was still plastered there. She thought it would probably be there for the rest of the night and well into tomorrow.

Once the door clicked shut behind Ezra and they were alone in the room, Aria turned to Spencer. "Come up here with me," she said, scooting over so that there was room beside her on the bed.

Now that Ezra was gone, Spencer didn't argue. She adjusted the pillow behind Aria's back and sat herself down on top of the covers.

"You scared the shit out of me," she said.

"I scared the shit out of you? I scared the shit out of _me_ ," Aria countered.

"Has anything like this happened before?"

"No, nothing," Aria said. "And I hope this is the last time I'm here until I'm having real contractions. I swear I will drink five gallons of water a day and live in the bathroom if it means I don't have to have another night like tonight." She let her head fall back on the pillows. "Spencer, I really thought I lost her."

"So did I," Spencer said. Tentatively, she reached out and ran her hand along Aria's belly where Ezra's had been before. "Can you feel her move yet?" she asked.

Aria scooted back a little so that she was sitting up more. She tucked the blanket below her belly and lifted the hem of her hospital gown so that just her skin was showing. She lightly tapped her fingers across the top in a fluttery motion and whispered, "anybody in there?" They waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. "I'm supposed to feel movement soon. They said the gestational sac is definitely in the front, so I should be able to feel a lot of movement. I don't think I've felt anything yet, though."

"I'm sure you'll know when you do," Spencer offered.

Aria fixed her gown and pulled the covers back up, this time bringing them all the way past her belly to her shoulders. "I'm sorry our night was ruined," she said. She turned to face Spencer and drew up the corner of her mouth, passing a look of disappointment.

"Don't be sorry," Spencer said, shifting so they weren't completely nose-to-nose. "I had a great time, and we'll do it again soon. Maybe next time I'll just come to you so Ezra can still be there. I don't think I trust myself to take care of you on my own."

Aria chuckled.

"You were the picture of confidence. Very collected, very calm. Hastings girls perform well under pressure." The words were true but they sat heavily between the two girls. Aria cleared her throat and averted her eyes. There was a question she'd wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure how she'd do when she heard the answer. "How'd he sound when you called?"

They both sobered up quickly and the room seemed to grow thick with the events of the night.

"Like he might have just lost his reason to live," Spencer said quietly.

There wasn't anything that could be said in this moment that would lessen the weight of her words. They both knew it was more than likely true.

"You guys are going to be the best parents," Spencer offered. "She's the luckiest little girl in the world."

Aria stared down at her lap, envisioning the life that was inside her. "I want so much for her already," she said. "How am I supposed to bring another life into this world, knowing all the terrible things that could happen. _We_ were lucky. There were so many times when things could have turned out differently for us. We shouldn't still be alive. Thing shouldn't have ended the way they did."

Outside, rain began to beat down against the building. A large clap of thunder resounded around them just before a flash of lightning brightened the dim corners of the room. The rain picked up between each thunderous boom, and in some way, it seemed to soften the space around them. Aria could sense that Spencer was holding something back again. She was getting to the point where she couldn't keep her eyes open, but this was the fourth or fifth time she'd noticed that there was something being left unsaid, and after tonight, Aria wasn't in the mood to play a game of secrets.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" she asked quietly.

The slight shift that passed through Spencer's eyes gave way to a world of hurt, and Aria almost regretted prying. She noticed in this moment the way Spencer's eyes had dark spots beginning to form beneath them; she looked exhausted—mentally and physically drained. Her hair had a natural curl that she didn't often let the world see. Perhaps that was due to the late hour, but Aria recalled that it had looked that way at brunch that morning too. They were small changes in physical character, but they stood out now that Aria noticed them.

"You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to, but I can tell there's something bothering you," she said, giving Spencer the option to avoid the conversation if she truly needed to.

Spencer cleared her throat and shook her head. The two girls were snuggled into the bed at this point, enjoying the time they had to themselves. After Aria announced her pregnancy that morning, Spencer had intended to share what was weighing on her at some point during their evening…it was just, each time the opportunity came up, she'd managed to find a way around it before gathering the courage to open up to it. Now that Aria was calling her out, she felt it needed to be said.

"Did I ever tell you why Toby and I broke up?" she asked.

Aria was silent for a moment, thinking back to when she'd gotten that phone call…they'd had many conversations about it, but nothing significant stood out. "You said it was just a distance thing. You were living too far apart, and after the short time away from each other you'd started to change…is that not what really happened?"

She didn't move to look at Spencer at all. Instead, she stayed focused on the curtain that was drawn, separating them from the windows that lead to the hallway on the other side. She could feel through Spencer's body language that her attention was focused somewhere further to the right. She was sharing whatever it was that had been sitting on her shoulders, but she was doing it out of an obligation of love or respect rather than a desire for attention. Aria respected this, and she urged herself to hear whatever would come next with open ears.

"We, uh…we had a pregnancy scare," Spencer said, the end up her sentence curling up like a question. "It was freshman year. He'd come to visit during a long weekend a month before and…I never got my period."

Aria's face grew warm as she listened to the words being spoken. She thought back to the conversations they'd had earlier that day, of the way Spencer had reacted at her news during brunch…of the way she'd act anytime Toby and Yvonne were in the same room. Aria's heart broke as she put the puzzle pieces together.

"It wasn't the right time," Spencer continued. Her voice was growing thick again, and Aria could tell that there were tears threatening to spill over. "It wasn't a conversation we'd ever had—it never seemed like something we needed to worry about. I called him in a panic when the possibility occurred to me. Don't think me a horrible person, but it was the last thing I wanted. I…I don't think I would have had the baby if it had turned out I really was pregnant. I think he knew that…and I don't think he would have agreed with the decision. He drove all the way out to sit with me while I took a test, and, you know, as we were sitting there, all of these thoughts started swirling around in my head.

"I knew the life Toby wanted, and I knew where I was headed…and I knew in my heart that they weren't going to match up, at least not for a really long time."

There was a heavy pause and Aria took that moment to reach over and pull a tissue out of the box beside her bed. She handed it to Spencer and stayed facing her as Spencer dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Aria asked.

Spencer turned and gave her friend a watery look, her expression full of love. "I didn't want it to matter enough to say something," she said. "I think I thought if I talked about it, especially if I talked about it with you, that I'd get talked into a life I wasn't ready for."

"Spencer, I would _never_ try to talk you into something you didn't want."

"No, I know," she said. "I guess that's the thing. Deep down, I did want it, but I was afraid of it. I was afraid of what it would mean, of where I'd end up…I wasn't ready."

"It got worse when you found out he was dating Yvonne, didn't it?" Aria's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, and she was ready when Spencer's shoulders began to shake as tears poured forth. Aria sat up completely and pulled Spencer in to her. They sat like that for several minutes until Spencer was able to stop shaking.

"You're little but you're big, you know it?" Spencer said as she pulled away, wiping at the remaining tears. "I always thought, if only one of us made it out of all that mess, it'd be you."

"You're just as strong as I am," Aria said. "We're just strong in different ways."

"I just miss him," Spencer said quietly. "That's all. I miss what we used to have."

Aria gave Spencer a sympathetic look. "I know what you mean," she said, thinking of the five years she and Ezra spent a world apart. She yawned, water leaking out the corners of her eyes as she did and she leaned back against the bed. Just then, the door opened and Ezra came back through with a few extra blankets in hand.

"Thank you," Spencer whispered to Aria, before reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I kept you up. You need your sleep."

Ezra kept his distance, not wanting to interrupt what was clearly a private moment. When Spencer eased herself off the bed, he met her eyes and raised his brows, holding out a blanket to her.

"There are two chairs," he said. "It's pouring out and you shouldn't drive home in this. They're not the best beds, but they're better than nothing."

Spencer stepped forward and took the blanket from Ezra's outstretched hand. She looked between them, but by the time her eyes landed on Aria again, she was already fast asleep.

Ezra moved over and took one of the extra blankets, draping it over her body and pulling it up over her belly. Spencer watched from the corner where she was standing at one of the chairs, acting interested in the back of her hands. Ezra bent forward and placed a tender kiss on Aria's pregnant belly before continuing up to place one at her forehead. She expected him to pull away after that and was surprised when he didn't right away. He hovered over her for a minute, closed his eyes and gave the top of her head a kiss as well, staying there against her long enough to breath her in.

Spencer ached to have something like that.

She wasn't sure if what she wanted was a boyfriend, a family, or simply someone to love her as much as Ezra loved Aria…or as much as Aria loved Ezra. She'd had that with Toby. She'd thought she had that with Caleb.

But with some distance, she realized that there'd been something missing from both of them. Ezra and Aria seemed to have a longevity that promised a full life.

Ezra finally pulled away from Aria's sleeping form, and as he turned to grab his own blanket, he caught Spencer's eye.

"Stay," he said quietly, giving her a nod.

But what was really being said was, 'thank you.'

* * *

 **A/N: So it's nothing crazy...probably about what you expected, but hopefully you found it to be satisfactory. Of course I'm not going to have her miscarry...that would be too sad, and this is supposed to be a fic filled with fluff.**

 **What do you think we'll see next chapter? What do you hope we'll see in the future? Pretty soon here I'm going to need to speed up this timeline, or else it'll take us forever to get to the good stuff. How do you feel about the pace? Do you like seeing every-day type things or are you wishing it moved a little faster?**

 **Let me know what you're thinking. I'll try to post again later this week or next. Have a great week.**


	10. Chapter 10

She was staring at the dark ceiling, not moving for fear of disturbing the man beside her, but wanting nothing more than to reach out and shake his shoulder until he turned over and opened his eyes. The blanket that was draped across her naked body was too heavy. Her pillows were stacked too high. Her feet hurt, her belly itched, and she was hungry…

She wanted pickles. She wanted ice cream. She wanted pie.

And she wanted it now.

Or rather…Ezra's daughter wanted it now.

It had only been a few weeks since they found out they were having a little girl, and Aria was ecstatic, but in moments like this, when their little bundle of joy was being a bundle of…something else…she preferred to think of their daughter as _his_ daughter. Keeping an inch of distance between herself and the irritations of pregnancy made dealing with things just a hair easier. Ezra didn't seem to mind being reminded that the baby was his. In fact, it seemed to Aria that the father of her unborn child got a certain level of enjoyment from seeing her struggle through the various side effects of her increase in hormones. All the nausea aside, of course.

Either way— it was two in the morning and Aria would _not_ be going to sleep until her cravings were satisfied, and she couldn't remember if they had a single one of those things in the kitchen.

She adjusted herself as best she could, her now twenty-week belly making it the slightest bit more difficult to maneuver the way she used to. As soon as she reached behind her back and eased up so that her back was resting against the pillow mountain rather than her neck, Ezra moved beside her and rolled over. She took a moment to watch him sleep before reaching out and running a hand through his hair.

It was curly, and just a little sweaty, and she could see the silver strands hiding beneath the jet-black strands, catching in the moonlight that was shining through the window. His face relaxed as she continued her ministrations and for a moment she forgot about the need for food. One hand was resting above her belly button and the other lost deep in the tangles of his hair, only coming out every few seconds to trace the smattering of freckles that graced the creases at the corner of his eyes. She had never felt more in love with two people than she did in this moment.

"You're really lucky, baby girl," she said quietly. "You've got a good daddy."

As much as he did seem to derive a lot of enjoyment from watching her work through the pregnancy, and as much as it could irritate her when he didn't seem to understand that she didn't _enjoy_ being as out of whack as she was, she had a hard time denying the fact that he had been _wonderful._ Especially when it came to dealing with her crazy cravings and demands, even if it meant being on call at all hours of the night. She just hoped that he was still as ready and willing when they were accompanied by a baby's wailing cries.

At the thought of a baby crying, Aria suddenly felt her voice seemed too loud in the dark, quiet room and she felt silly for having spoken out loud to their child at all. It wasn't as if the baby couldn't hear her…but it seemed more like she was talking to herself than anything else. Her lips fell into a slight pout as she redirected her gaze to the mirror across the room and settled on her own reflection. She could make out her own figure perfectly, and she could see the top of Ezra's head and his shoulders well enough. Her hand continued to make its way through this hair, from hairline to neck, nails dragging against his scalp in a mindlessly loving way.

She'd thought a thousand times about what her life would look in the years after she graduated college, and only on rare occasions had it crossed her mind that she may be on track to starting a family of her own. Of course, now, after a good five months of being pregnant, she'd thought about it a lot. She lived for every tiny detail of being a mother—something she already considered herself, even though Hanna thought it silly to call yourself a mother before the baby was "out of the oven"—but…it wasn't really that different. Her daughter's life was completely in her and Ezra's hands. She was helpless and it was their responsibility to make sure she got everything she needed. It didn't matter to Aria that she was packed away, neatly tucked inside her womb. Every last ounce of her depended on Aria. If that didn't make her a mother, what did?

Even though the room was dark and the mirror was a good few feet away, she could see the tiredness in her own features. Her hair was a mess, and her skin seemed extra pale. The only defined color on her face came from the bags under her eyes and the plump redness of her lips, which were still swollen from a few hours earlier.

It didn't matter if it occurred at nine, at ten, at the midnight, or sometime during the wee hours of the morning…it seemed like every night she woke Ezra up for a round of sex. Or two.

Tonight had been no different, and it only made Aria feel bad that she was now considering waking him a second time.

Her stomach growled again and she absently rubbed her hand from just under her breast to the waistline of her pants, following the trail that was marked by a fine strip of hair. Her belly button was starting to stick out just barely. She'd dreaded the odd pregnancy trait, and had hoped and prayed that somehow she'd be lucky enough to make it through the entire pregnancy without it, but sure enough, it had popped out around Wednesday of the week prior, almost like clockwork. Aria let out a deep sigh and whispered into the darkness again, putting off her self-conscious feelings.

"All right, all right, we'll go find some pickle and pie ice cream."

She scooted her body to the side of the bed and reached down until she came across her night gown which was piled beneath a few other discarded garments, possibly hers, possibly Ezra's. As soon as she lifted herself off the bed, she heard a deep intake and a recognizable movement behind her.

"Hey," Ezra said quietly, his voice still clouded by sleep. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she said as she turned around to face him. He had his head still flat against his pillow, one arm jutted between it and the mattress, the other now thrown over his head. His eyes were barely open, but there was a soft smile playing at his lips.

"God, you look sexy against the moonlight," he whispered.

Aria suddenly felt hyper aware of the fact that she was still standing naked in the middle of the room. It didn't matter that she'd just been thinking of the activities that had taken place, not even three hours ago, or the fact that she was bearing a very visible consequence of said activities, she still felt over exposed.

She averted her eyes and pushed both hands through the arms of her nightgown, which was honestly just a glorified t-shirt, and pulled the material down and over her burgeoning belly.

"Don't," Ezra said quietly, "I was enjoying the view." Aria cocked her head at him, the uncomfortable feelings she'd felt a half second ago dissipating as he continued to speak. "What are you doing up?" he asked, his voice finally losing its grogginess.

She framed her stomach, simultaneously framing the baby within. "I am in desperate need of very specific menu items for your daughter, and I was going to raid the kitchen. I'll probably come up empty handed, but I wasn't going to get any sleep until I tried."

Ezra cracked a grin and reached out a hand. Aria walked over until she could reach it, but she kept her distance, not wanting to get pulled back into bed.

He might think she was joking, but she seriously _couldn't_ go back to sleep until she ate _something_. Even if it was a bag of pickle-flavored potato chips…which, funny enough, sounded absolutely disgusting.

Ezra surprised Aria by sliding his hand out of hers and instead letting his fingers make their way over her belly. He had long fingers, _gloriously_ long fingers, and he was still able to perfectly palm her like a basketball. It was a small detail she adored, and something she knew wouldn't last long. Eventually her belly would reach a point where he had to use two hands. She didn't mind as long as it meant her baby girl was growing.

"What does Little Miss Fitz want tonight?"

"Ice cream," Aria said, her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "And pickles…and pie."

Ezra pushed his head back into the pillows further, a trill of laughter breaking into the corners of the room around them.

"Ice cream and pickles, maybe," he said, "but pie…that's all you."

Aria scoffed. "Excuse me," she said, indignant to the accusation. "Your love for pie is arguably ten times more substantial than mine, so by my count, the likelihood that she not only has her own craving for pie, but that it's largely a result of your genes…it's pretty favorable."

As she stood there before him, both hands still positioned on her hips, the hem of her over-sized t-shirt hitting her mid thigh, and a few strands of wispy hair that had escaped the small bun on top of her head, Ezra couldn't think of anything apart from how lucky he was. He let the hand that had been splayed across her abdomen slide back, bringing her closer, and then let it slide down so that he was cupping her butt. His hand trailed under the fabric and he watched as a shy grin spread over her face.

"Stop," she whispered, not meaning it in the slightest.

He didn't, but instead continued to bring her forward until her knees were touching the side of the bed and her belly was close enough to him that he could lean forward and kiss the little obtrusion that was her belly button. He stayed like this for what felt like hours, but was actually only a matter of seconds, just enjoying her scent and the way her skin was warm beneath the poly-fiber blend. Leaving his mouth where it was, he looked up to meet her eyes and waited until the corners of her mouth drew up at the sides, leaving behind a bright smile.

The fire that roared between them was enough to burn an entire forest to the ground, but it was a quiet, subtle, slow burning fire. One that would creep up, curl around the trunk of a tree and eat away at the roots until all that's left is a smoldering pile of embers and ash.

Somehow, Ezra managed to tear his eyes away from Aria. He sat up, the absence of his body against hers leaving her chilled. He tore the blankets off and Aria appreciated him from every angle until he found his own clothes. He had been right. Something about the dusky glow of moonlight streaming in through the windows did something to his skin…the blue tinge making her crave something all together else.

He must have seen the look in her eyes because he burst out laughing and shook his head.

"Nuh-uh," he said, opening the bedroom door and posting up against it as he waited for her to pass through. "We are up for one thing, and one thing only. To satisfy your daughter's 'cravings'—then it's straight back to bed." He made sure to put the word 'craving' in air quotes, but gave Aria a wink nonetheless.

"Don't even start with me," she said, walking straight past him, her back straight, head held high, and belly sticking out like it owned the world. "You did this to me. It's your fault."

Despite his own words, Ezra stared at her ass as she made her way down the hallway. Leaving the door ajar, he tore off down the hall behind her and wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her in to his bare chest and playfully buried his head in the crook of her neck, gently rubbing the scruff on his chin against her tender skin. Aria let out a mild scream, laughing uncontrollably out of surprise.

He continued to keep some part of his hands on her as they made their way down the hall, eventually down the stairs, and into the small kitchen.

"You can say whatever you want," he whispered into her ear, drawing on her words from their bedroom a moment before, "but you were _very_ much a part of this."

She felt the hairs along the back of her neck tingle as they stood on edge in the dark kitchen.

Euphoria ran through her veins as a shiver ran down her spine.

He was standing behind her, his head still buried in the crook of her neck, his body pinning her gently against the counter, and his hands dipping lower, and lower, and _lower_ trailing along her sides, down over her hips, and into the small pocket of space where her hips became her legs. She had both of her hands clamped along the countertop, but let her back press against him and her head fall back against his chest, the top of her head just barely meeting his chin. Just as she was sure he'd reach under her nightgown and run his hands along her skin, her stomach growled again.

Her head slacked against him, all the heat of the moment gone.

"Pie," she said. "Please tell me we have pie."

An hour later, Aria found herself happily propped up in bed, a thin slice of pie and pickles balanced atop her belly and a sleepy but loving fiancé by her side. There had been no short supply on ice cream, since Ezra had thought to buy extra Ben & Jerry's a few days back when he'd offered to make a very similar midnight run, but there wasn't a single jar of pickles or frozen pie stashed anywhere around the apartment. At first, Aria had tried to satisfy her cravings by eating the ice cream, thinking naively that it might lessen the craving for the other two foods, but…when she was about halfway through the pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie, she realized the want for the other two foods was just growing stronger.

Being the man he was, Ezra had simply smiled at the look on Aria's face, leaned in to kiss her forehead, and left to find pie and pickles. If he was lucky, a pickle flavored pie. Even though he knew better than to think she wouldn't send him right back out if he walked through the door with anything less than two separate purchases.

She scraped her fork across the plate, dragging up the last few crumbs of crust and shoveling them in her mouth. Her eyelids drooped heavily when the last of it was finally gone, and sitting there in the warmth of their bed, with the weight of Ezra by her side, she felt absolutely at peace.

"How was it?" Ezra asked.

So far, her cravings had seemed to come in pairs, but they'd been fairly mild pairs. He'd yet to make anything as horrendous as a tuna and strawberry smoothie or bacon and gouda melt—both combinations Hardy had sworn up and down he'd have to watch out for. How Hardy knew what pregnant women craved, Ezra had no idea…Ezra hoped Aria never asked for anything remotely near those two things, though, if he was being honest, in a certain kind of light, he could see where the bacon and gouda might sound like it had potential…

Aria rolled her neck over so that she was facing him and the sleepy look on her face said it all.

"Absolutely _the_ most satisfying thing in the entire world," she said. "I mean, the pie's not Paula's, but it's good."

Ezra pretended to look offended. "Wait, back up, the most satisfying thing in the _entire_ world?" he said in mock horror. Aria let out a lazy laugh. "Even more satisfying than sex?" he added. "I thought we had a good go of in earlier…"

"All right, maybe not more satisfying than sex, but just so you have a margin of comparison, it's a very, _very_ close second."

He reached over and took the plate from her hands, sat it on the floor, then rolled over so that he was lying on his stomach, lazily feeding his fingers in and out of lock with hers. He could tell she was getting sleepy again, and he was glad for it, but now he'd been up for over an hour, he'd gone out into the chilly night air, and he'd dreamed up another round of extra curricular activities, at this point, fantasizing about a world where a piece of pie was in competition with an orgasm.

In all honesty, he wanted to visit that place. Challenge accepted.

But by the look in Aria's eyes, or at least the lack thereof, considering the fact that her eyes were steadily closing more and more by the second, he figured that was a different activity for a different time. Maybe he'd get the chance to woo her when the sun rose.

He scooted up just barely, leaving the soft glow of the lamp in the corner across the room to light the shadowy corners in a slight way, and let his head rest at her waist. His legs were hanging of the end of the bed, but he wasn't in the mood to sleep anyway. He was enjoying watching the wave of peace that had washed over her since having the cravings satisfied.

Ezra placed his lips to her hip and left a small kiss there. Aria let out a breathy but lazy moan, diving her hands sleepily into his hair, and he continued across her waistline, watching her face the whole time. He had one arm draped lazily across her, his elbow resting between her legs and his fingers tracing along the hem of her underwear. He was just about to comment on how beautiful she looked when he felt a strange flutter of something below his chin.

Aria's eyes darted open and she looked at him in shock.

"Was that—?"

"Shh—" she cut him off. She sat up straighter and pulled back the material covering her belly, exposing her round, tout skin to Ezra and the dark night around them. She let one hand rest on the right side of her abdomen where she too had felt a fluttering, without any shadow of a doubt. "Did you feel it too?" she asked.

It was a stupid question. Of course he'd felt it too.

Ezra was now on his knees beside her, a look of complete awe and confusion plastered across his face.

"She moved, Ezra," Aria said quietly. A bubble of laughter spilled out of her chest and she reached one hand up to cover her smile, keeping the other pressed firm to the spot where she _swore_ she felt the tiniest of kicks. All the while, her eyes stayed locked on Ezra, whose gaze was rightfully locked on the spot being covered by her hand.

She reached out for him, replacing her hand with his, and gave the space around it light, encouraging jabs, urging their baby to move again.

"Come on, little girl," she cooed quietly. "Move for mommy and daddy."

It was a tender moment, and in it, each of them fell more in love with the other than they had dreamt possible.

As if on cue, another light fluttering tickled its way from the middle of Aria's belly to her right side.

"There," she said in excitement. "Did you feel her?"

She had been looking down at Ezra's palm against her skin, but when she looked up to see his reaction, her breath caught in her chest. All the hormones that had materialized first in the form of her libido and second in the form of hunger were now plummeting into an overwhelming world of pure, emotional bliss.

Ezra's eyes were locked on where their daughter was moving within Aria, but they were glistening with a soft layer of fresh tears. He choked back a breathy sob of happiness as he moved to look from Aria's belly to her face, and in that moment, he was so overcome with happiness, he wanted to pick her up and spin her around the room.

Instead, he reached up and cupped Aria's face, bringing her mirth-filled smile up to meet his in what might have been their most tender kiss to date.

"It's really not just the two of us anymore, is it?" he asked.

Aria just shook her head. Words didn't seem to be enough at the moment.

"I love you," he whispered against her, a light laughter trickling out behind his words. He let his forehead rest against hers and lightly brushed his nose to the tip of her nose before dipping down for another chaste kiss.

"I love you too," she whispered once they were apart again.

He leaned back and brought her into him so that he could once again let his hands find their place around her belly. She moved with him easily but after a few minutes of nothing, she smiled slightly, feeling only a little disappointed, and met his eyes once more.

"I think she was telling you thank you for the pie," she said with a wink.

"Well she's very welcome. I'm happy to supply pie, any time, any place," he said.

Reluctantly, he retracted his hands and sat up, adjusting Aria so that her head was propped securely against his chest, her shoulders square against his left side. Aria reached out and pulled his arms around her, draping them over the bump at her waist, both of them silently, patiently hoping to feel something more before nodding off to sleep.

"She's going to need a name," Aria said sleepily. "Have you thought of anything at all?"

"Not of anything I like," he said. "What about you?"

Aria let out a big yawn and snuggled down into his side a little further.

"I know I've made jabs at my Granny Rose before," she paused to let out another yawn, "but I kind of like the idea of a family name…and on my side it's either Rose or Margaret."

Ezra cleared his throat awkwardly. He dipped down to kiss the top of her head and then rose again before speaking in a gentle tone. "I'm going to stop you there," he said evenly. "Margaret has too much potential to be turned into a Meg or Maggie, and I'm not about to let our daughter share that name."

Aria groaned. "Good call," she said. "I didn't think of that. Anything good on your side?"

"My grandmas were named Beatrice and Ada," he said. "I didn't care much for Grandma B."

He smoothed a hand over her hair and laid his own head back so that it was resting against the headboard. He found the small red numbers on the alarm clock across the room and squinted until they came into clearer focus.

"It's almost four-thirty in the morning," he said. "Why don't we sleep on the name thing?"

Aria's breathing had already evened out and once Ezra realized this, he could feel that her weight had sunk a little further into his side. He reached out and pulled the comforter up around their legs as best he could and scooted their bodies down so that they were in less of a sitting position. The lamp across the room was still on, but it was dim enough, and early enough in the morning, that he figured leaving it on for a few hours wouldn't be the worst thing ever. It was worth it if it meant he could have another few minutes holding his girls at his side.

"Sweet dreams," he said quietly. He pulled Aria into him and let his cheek find the top of her head, leaving it here as he drank in her scent. One arm was still wrapped securely around her shoulders as she rest against his chest, but the other had found its place on her belly once more.

As he drifted off to sleep, he let his fingers trail circles along the fabric of her pajamas and thought up all the ways his life had been made better by the two lives in his arms.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry it's been a little while. I wanted to make sure that I got another chapter up in case I'm unable to update for a few weeks. I am getting married in 12 days so I am very preoccupied. My hope is that I'll get at least one more chapter out before I leave for my honeymoon, but I don't want to promise that. SO, know that if that doesn't happen, updating will be at the very tippy top of my to-do list.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted something light and sweet...a little fluff to tide you over. If I do update again in the next week, it'll probably be much of the same.**

 **leighB26, thanks for the line of inspiration; it greatly effected how this chapter turned out. You've been very influential in helping me feel like I can make time to update here and there. I think we probably all appreciate you for that.**

 **All right, last thing. I feel like it's only fair that I tell you straight up: I'm not naming this baby Daisy. Don't even try to talk me into it :D Leave a review if you feel so inclined! I've loved hearing from each and every one of you. Thanks for continuously reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

Ezra was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, little bits of hair drifting to the sink's basin as he took his razor to the shaving cream that covered his face. He'd let his beard grow in a little, per Aria's request, but he couldn't stand the scruff anymore. Whenever he caught a glimpse of his reflection, it reminded him a little too much of the Ezra who drank all day and did nothing but mope around.

That wasn't the man he wanted to be and he didn't want any hint of it coming back. Not even in appearance.

From somewhere in the distance, he heard a muffled tumble. He stopped what he was doing for a second and focused on the reflection of the doorway behind him.

"Aria?" he called out, a fraction of fear beginning to course through his veins.

"I'm all right," she hollered, her voice carrying down the stairs and into the bathroom. His reflection visibly relaxed, his shoulders sinking down and loosening significantly. He was about to return to the left side of his face when she spoke again. "On second thought, do you think you could come here for a second?"

She didn't sound hurt, or terribly distressed, but there was some sort of catch in her voice, and he didn't quite know what type of situation he was going to be walking in on. Placing the razor on the counter beside the sink and wiping his hands with a towel, he made his way out of the bathroom and off to find his fiancée. He just hoped he was able to find her before she was eaten by whatever had caused all the racket.

He entered their room expecting to see a small, pregnant Aria standing in front of their full-length mirror, an assortment of shoes and bags around her, a small crease in her forehead her brow furrowed…but that wasn't _quite_ the scene that greeted him. Instead, his fears from moments before came true as he entered to find Aria sprawled out on the floor, a mess of clothes surrounding her, tears streaming down her cheeks, and a helpless look of defeat on her face. She was still wearing a towel and had a second wrapped around her head.

"Oh my god, Aria," Ezra said as he knelt in front of her, reaching out and moving his hands over her body as if he'd be able to tell whether or not something was broken just by touching her. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Nothing fits," she said.

"Wait, so you're okay? You didn't fall?"

"No," she said, choking back tears. "I'm fine, I'm just uncomfortable." Ezra could tell there was a sob building in her chest and he wasn't sure what would make it better.

Aria watched as he looked on at her, taking in her current state. She knew she was being a blubbery mess, but sometimes…sometimes she just couldn't help it. Sometimes she just wanted to let it all _out_. And sometimes, absolutely nothing in your closet felt comfortable, and you were pregnant _and_ bloated, and your boobs were too big, and not in a good way, and the glow your mom promised would come _hadn't_ yet, and all hope of ever feeling normal or beautiful or _like yourself_ again was flying out the window.

She'd read _What To Expect When You're Expecting_ from cover to cover and she had expected to be full of energy and excitement at this point in her pregnancy. Sure, she'd had moments of feeling that way, and it had spiked during her fourth month, but she hadn't expected to plummet back into a bloated nightmare at twenty-two weeks. She shouldn't have assumed or let herself get the idea that she'd have an easy pregnancy. Had she expected the worst, she wouldn't be feeling as disappointed in the small discomforts she was facing.

"Can you just hold me for a minute?" she asked, her voice cracking and a fresh set of tears making their way down her cheeks.

"Of course," Ezra said, throwing himself out of his stupor and moving to sit next to her on the floor. "Come here."

Ezra wrapped both his arms around her, pulling the towel off her head and letting it fall to the floor behind them. He brought her in close to his body and tucked her head in the nook of his shoulder and chin, pressing gentle kisses atop her wet hair.

"You smell perfect," he whispered.

Aria let out a stifled laugh but it quickly turned into more tears. Ezra felt his heart spike and plummet in a matter of seconds. He wanted to fix whatever was wrong, but lately it didn't seem like anything he did helped, and that was something he tried not to hold against her.

Instead of saying anything else, he just continued to hold her and rocked her body gently side to side. Sometimes it just felt good to be held, and Ezra knew that.

This wasn't the first time Aria had been completely beside herself, and this definitely wasn't the first time she'd been upset over her clothes not fitting the way she expected them to. Ezra had found out the hard way that suggestions usually weren't helpful. He just needed to be patient and listen and eventually she'd run out of tears or her mood would shift, or Ella or Spencer would call and magically make it all better.

Leaving him feeling absolutely helpless.

He had a place and a purpose, but consoling her on these matters didn't seem to be one of them.

It was something he'd just had to get used to.

Ezra could feel Aria take in a deep breath – her shoulders inched up, her chest expanded, and her protruding belly eased out just enough to shift his own body a centimeter. It wasn't enough for her to notice, but it was enough to make him smile. Her breathing was evening out, she was calming down, and Ezra was growing more confident as each second ticked by. He decided that he would try to console her as best he could one more time.

"You know," he started, "we're not doing anything really important today. Why don't you put something cozy on and I'll get us both a cup of coffee and something to eat…and we can take our time running errands today." His voice was quiet and calm, and he whispered everything to her as he continued to hold her arms and rock her ever so gently.

She arched her head back and looked up at him. Her eyes were glistening with the residue of her tears but the second she looked at Ezra's face she had a huge grin and erupted in laughter. Ezra hardly knew how to respond.

This is exactly what happened when she had a mood swing. Inconsolable tears one moment, and uncontrollable laughter the next.

"What?" he asked, his voice somewhat reserved, somewhat reluctant. He didn't really want to know what was so funny. Odds were: it was probably at his expense.

Between peals of laughter, Aria tried to spit out what had her in such a fit. "You—"she took in a deep breath and calmed herself, looking him square in the eye. "You've still got shaving cream covering half of your face," she said with a smile. She reached up and wiped a bit off his eyebrow. "How did it event get that high on your forehead? You weren't planning to shave your brow were you? You know my offer to touch them up still stands. One of these days I'll get you while you're sleeping…"

"You aren't touching my eyebrows, for the last time, woman. But…say I was planning on doing a little manscaping of my brow line. Would you still find me attractive if I shaved them both clean off?"

She bit her lip and seemed to assess his features one by one, scrutinizing each feature until Ezra was unreasonably uncomfortable under her gaze.

"It was a joke, Aria," he said, slipping his hand up her towel and tickling the back of her thigh so that she jumped away from him and squealed.

"Promise to not call it manscaping and maybe I'll still love you," she said. "That definitely refers _strictly_ to another area – and you can do all the manscaping you want down there." She leaned forward until her face was a centimeter away from his. She let her nose touch gently against his and whispered, "But I'll always find you attractive, Mr. Fitz. No matter what."

Ezra smiled and leaned up, capturing her lips in his and successfully transferring half the shaving cream on his face from his cheek to hers. Aria squealed again and pulled away.

Mood successfully swung.

"So." Ezra was hesitant to continue. Aria took in a deep breath, knowing what was coming. "What are we going to wear?"

She leaned back so that her hands were behind her and she was putting most her weight on her wrists. Looking around at the clothes on the floor, she let out a long and slow breath. Nothing sounded comfortable. She was past even caring what she looked like. She just didn't want to feel like she was going to explode, or pee, or pop a stitch at any given second.

Spotting a pair of maternity yoga pants, she reached out and moved them to her lap. "There," she said. "I think I'll just go topless."

Ezra rolled his eyes and tried not to smile. "I would appreciate that, but I'm not sure the rest of Rosewood would let you get far. Plus, it's supposed to be cold today. Do you want one of my shirts?"

Aria looked over to him, one corner of her mouth drawn up in a reluctant expression of thanks. "You're being very patient with me. Thank you." She took in a deep breath. "However, I don't even know if your shirts will fit anymore. At this point, I'll probably just be stretching them out."

"That's okay," Ezra offered. "I really don't mind. Clothes are replaceable."

"I know…" She ran her tongue over her lips then bit down on her bottom lip again. "All right, if you're sure. Give me whatever is the biggest."

Ezra nodded and pushed himself up off the floor before reaching down to help pull Aria to her feet as well. She moved to sit on the bed, picking up her towel along the way and continuing to ring out her hair as she sat on the edge of the mattress while Ezra stood over his dresser ruffling through piles of clothes.

When he pulled out the mustard yellow Hollis tee, Aria's heart just about stopped.

"Are you crazy? Put that back." She pushed herself off the bed and walked over to stand beside him, elbowing him out of the way until she had a better view of the drawer. "That t-shirt is perfectly worn and you're insane if you think I'm going to let it get stretched out by this." She gestured at her midsection.

" _That_ happens to be our daughter, and it's your favorite, I just thought it might make you feel better."

"It _is_ my favorite," Aria said, trying to even her tone. "Which is why I want to keep it in perfect condition until I can wear it again. Now. What else do you have to offer?"

Ezra simply raised his hands in surrender and backed away.

"Why don't I let you pick it out?"

"Oh, good grief," Aria said, rolling her eyes.

"Will you be okay if I go finish shaving?"

Aria threw her head over her shoulder and gave him a death glare.

"Hey, I'm just asking," he said.

Her features eased up a little and she gave him a tight smile. "Go clean yourself up. You look like you got into a fight with the whipped cream. I'll find something and get dressed. I don't think I'm going to dry my hair or anything."

Ezra was already walking over toward the hall. "It's pretty chilly out," he said, stopping in the doorway. "At least dry it. I'll make coffee and breakfast and we'll leave when you're ready. Take your time."

* * *

About an hour later, Ezra was helping Aria out of the passenger seat of his car and they were making their way into a Babies R Us. As soon as they entered the building, they were overwhelmed by aisles and aisles of clothes and toys and diapers and cribs…the store seemed to go on and on and the thought that they literally needed _everything_ was more than they could handle.

"Okay," Aria said. "All we have to do today is register for what we want and—"

"And buy a car seat. And a crib. And a diaper bag…" Ezra was standing in front of the doors, which were continuing to stay open, letting in little bursts of cool wind. "And learn to be _parents_ , Aria. We're going to be responsible for a whole person. We need to find a place to _live_."

"Ezra, breathe." Ara took his arm and pulled him off to the side, bypassing the giant selection of adorable baby clothes and ducking down an aisle of congratulatory cards and picture books. She took both his hands and held him at arm's length, trying her best not to laugh at the dazed look on his face. These were the moments where she saw what a great team they made. He was able to calm her down when she needed it, and hopefully she'd be able to do the same for him.

"Let's just start off simple. My mom was talking the other day about wanting to throw a baby shower…and I know for a fact that Hanna has already spoiled this little girl with more outfits than we'll have room for. She sends me a picture of a new onesie or frilly dress almost every night. Sometimes more than one."

Ezra was about to say something when a young woman popped her head out from around the corner. He and Aria both turned to face her and she smiled before coming all the way out past the shelf.

"Hi there," she said with an overly happy tone. She was wearing a vest and a nameplate that said _Stacee_.

Aria internally rolled her eyes at the double 'e' – the poor girl never stood a chance at finding a pencil or license plate with her name on it as a child.

She tried to make her own tone match Stacee's sticky sweetness. "Hi, how are you?"

"Great, thanks. Can I help you find anything today?"

Aria watched as the young woman looked right past her and made eye contact with Ezra. Had Aria not been the one to speak, she wouldn't have been sure whether or not the girl even knew she was standing there. Aria had to keep her mouth from dropping open. While she found it mildly amusing that this employee was _clearly_ flirting with the father of her child, she was also a little perturbed.

Clearly this was not the place to try and make a move on someone.

Aria cleared her throat and held onto one of Ezra's hands a little tighter while taking her other hand and smoothing it over her abdomen. "We're just here to start a registry for this little lady," Aria said, still keeping her tone sticky sweet. She felt Ezra's thumb tap lightly against the side of her palm, which she knew to be a gesture of warning. She felt herself grin. He knew what she was doing, and she knew she was being borderline rude, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. "Is that something you can help us with?"

Aria watched as Stacee's lips formed a tight line and she redirected her attention away from Ezra. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave Aria a look that reminded her _terribly_ of Alison when they were in junior high.

"I'd be happy to. You can follow me to the counter. What are your names?"

Stacee made to move past them and as she did, Ezra eased out of her way, drawing Aria's body in close to his and snaking his arm around her hips, a movement that Stacee surely couldn't see but he hoped would make Aria feel a little better. He playfully swatted her on the butt and leaned down to whisper, "What do you think you're doing?"

There was a lilt of happiness in his voice. She could have her fun making a point, but he didn't want her to think that she really had anything to worry about. He pulled Aria along a little, making to follow the girl to the counter and opened his mouth to speak as he did.

"The last name is Fitz," he said. "Aria and Ezra Fitz." Aria nearly tripped causing Ezra to stop and reach out to balance her. "Everything okay?"

She was holding back a huge smile.

"Yeah, sorry – I lost my balance for a second."

Stacee had stopped momentarily and was giving them an odd, sympathetic look, but Aria didn't even care. She leaned forward and gave Ezra a quick, light kiss lingering just long enough to where he knew it wasn't for Stacee's sake, but a genuine 'thank you' to him for what he was doing.

Giving his last name for both of them meant more to her than he could have known. Maybe it was silly of her, but not being married yet and having different last names made Aria feel extremely self conscious.

Regardless of whether or not the kiss had been intended to get under Stacee's skin, it seemed that it had. She cleared her throat and looked at them expectantly from behind the computer.

"Should we get started?"

"Yes," Aria said evenly. She'd put her fun and games aside for now.

About ten minutes later, they were both glad to be walking down an aisle with the power to scan at will and without the obligation to make polite small talk with any Babies R Us employees. Aria and Ezra quickly got into a rhythm, Aria took her time to walk up and down each row and would pick up things she thought looked cute or knew they would need, and Ezra would scan its barcode without hesitance. They were glad to find that they had similar taste in which products seemed more necessary than others, and which patterns were less garish.

After they'd been scanning for some time, Aria stopped and leaned her elbow against a pile of plush pillows.

"Can you believe this is really happening?" she asked him quietly. She pulled back the sides of her jacket and framed herself, letting her bourgeoning belly show more noticeably. Right where her navel was jutting out was a picture of a Mister Softee ice cream cone and she lightly traced the outline, letting her forefinger stop when it got to the top. "I guess different things hit me at different times. I don't know that I've quite gotten used to what all of this means for us."

"I think my meltdown when we walked in the door was a pretty real depiction of the thoughts going through my head right now," Ezra said lightly.

"I know, I'm sorry, this is overwhelming."

"That's not something you have to apologize for, and besides, it's not a bad kind of overwhelming…It's fun." He sat the registration gun down on one of the shelves and stood in front of Aria, placing the palm of his hand over Mister Softee's face. "Mister Softee spells his name the same way Stacee does."

Aria burst out laughing. "So you noticed it too?"

"For the past two weeks, names have been about the only thing I do notice."

"I know. We have to figure something out for this poor little girl. Have you come up with anything else?"

"Not anything I like enough to be worth mentioning. I'm still leaning toward a family name. We just have to settle on the right one. It'll come in time." He smoothed the fabric there over Mister Softee's face, letting his hand drift off to the side and around her waist, drawing her forward and into his chest. He held her against him, kissing the top of her head, and when she drew back to look him in the eyes, he let her go just barely. "I couldn't imagine doing any of this with anyone else," he said.

"Me either," Aria said quietly.

She pulled back and leaned against the pillows again, but this time, her eyes drifted beyond Ezra's and locked onto a place above his shoulder. She seemed to be thinking about something and if the way she was biting the corner of her lip, or the way her arms were crossed meant anything, Ezra would have bet there was something she wanted to say.

"Everything okay?"

She tore her eyes off the display of blankets and looked at him. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm just thinking…" she hesitated but didn't move, she'd started saying it so she would finish. She just hoped she didn't regret it. "I was just thinking about Malcom; wondering how he is. Is it weird that I think about him from time to time?"

Ezra's eyes grew and he leaned his head back. That wasn't at all where he though she was headed. He put a hand at the back of his neck and rubbed the muscles there before answering. _Did_ he think it was weird? It had been _several_ years since Malcom had been in either one of their lives, and he wasn't afraid to admit that he was glad in a way that things had turned out the way they had. He tried to think of where he'd be in this moment if Malcom had actually been his son; if he'd had to fully accept parenthood all those years ago.

He'd also be lying if he said he never thought about him, or Maggie…how they were and what they were doing. When they'd been talking about names and Aria had briefly mentioned Maggie, Ezra had stayed up for about a half hour just imagining what things would be like if she were still a part of the picture. What scared him to death was the fact that said picture may not include Aria. Or the small family they'd started to create on their own.

Though he missed Malcom at times, it wasn't in a way that made him wish things were different. Malcom wasn't his son, and it no longer felt like he was. Those brief months of living under a misguided sense of reality were nothing in comparison to the years that had passed since then. Ezra was glad in a way that Aria had been by his side through all of it, and that she thought of Malcom and Maggie on her own from time to time. He was glad to know he could mention them without bringing up a bad taste in her mouth.

"No, I don't think it's weird," he said finally. He let his arms drop to his side and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "I've actually thought about him several times since we found out you were pregnant."

Aria crossed her arms again and pushed herself off the pillows. "I just can't imagine how anyone could ever keep this kind of happiness from someone else. No amount of money or bribery could have kept me from sharing this with you. It makes me sick to even think about it."

"You're not trying to tell me my mom offered you money, are you?"

Aria scoffed and gave him a look that could kill. "Are you kidding me? You'd know if your mom offered me something to keep quite. If you haven't told her we're having a baby, I doubt she's even aware. _I_ certainly haven't talked to her. Plus, I'm sure we would have gotten a surprise visit if Wes had spilled the beans."

"Maybe we should…"

"What?" Aria looked at him in confusion. "Wait, are you being serious?"

"I don't know, Aria, she is my mom. Maybe we should tell her. Why not?"

"Ezra, your mom _hates_ me. She is going to do everything she can to get me to go away."

"She doesn't hate you, Aria." He nodded his head to signal that they should keep moving and they both turned to keep walking down the row of bedding. "She just doesn't want me to be living the life I am, and she's bent on changing my mind. But. You know as well as I that nothing is going to change that."

"I just hate the idea of having to stand in front of her and tell her that we're having a baby. Though, in a way, it'd be a little easier than telling my own parents. At least Diane already doesn't think very highly of me."

Ezra couldn't keep himself from laughing at this. "Will you at least think about it?"

"Yes. But if we tell her I'm pregnant, we should probably tell her we're getting married while we're at it."

"Ohhh…but then we'd have to invite her to the wedding."

Aria stopped and tilted her head, looking up at him with thought behind her eyes.

"That's not a good look," Ezra said. "Am I going to regret opening my mouth?"

"Probably," Aria countered. "You know what. I think we should tell her. It's not fair to let her miss out on two significant points in your life. If she doesn't want to be a part of it, fine, that's different. But we should at least give her the option. Keeping things from her is only going to make her more upset."

The intercom overhead called for assistance in aisle twelve, putting a stop to their conversation for the moment. Aria and Ezra both stood silent and absentmindedly turned to look at their aisle number as a reflex more than anything else.

Ezra reached out and grabbed a light purple receiving blanket from a shelf beside him. He flipped it over in his hands and ran his thumb over the small circle which was cut out of the plastic in the front, allowing you to get a sense of how soft it was.

"Let's get this today," he said. "Actually, you know what? Let's go ahead and get a car seat and a crib and a few essentials while we're at it."

"That's going to be a lot all at once. Are you sure?"

Ezra nodded as he continued to look at the receiving blanket. "Yeah," he said after a while. "I think it'll be good to go ahead and get things set up and ready. She'll be here before we know it."

Aria smiled but didn't say anything. As she tucked her arm through his and they continued to make their way through the store, she tried her best not to let the bubbly happiness she was feeling spill its way out. There were plenty of roadblocks still to come, but for now, things were looking good and she didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize this feeling.

"I'll call Mom tomorrow and see when she's available for lunch. Sound good?"

Aria nodded her head. She reached up and rubbed the space between his shoulder blades as they continued to walk.

"Want to get that stuff and call it quits for today? Now I kind of want to grab lunch before we head home."

"Of course you do," he said with a wink. Aria dropped her mouth open in mock horror and gave him a light slap on the arm.

"That's no way to treat the mother of your child," she warned. "Especially if you want any help building a crib later. Or to sleep in the bed tonight."

Ezra held up both hands in surrender. "I take it back. I take it all back. What dost the fair maiden desire for midday luncheon?"

At the exact moment the words left his lips, Stacee came bounding out from the side of an aisles a few rows ahead of them, her overly eager nature causing her to wreak havoc on an end display, sending a tower of chewable zoo animals tumbling to the floor. Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Aria and Ezra both ducked out of the way, going down an aisle full of breast pumps and bottles. Aria had a hand over her mouth and Ezra looked like he wanted to turn around and help the poor girl put the display back together while equally wanting to be anywhere but in this store at this moment. As soon as they made eye contact, they both burst out laughing.

"Let's just finish doing this online," Aria said through muffled snorts.

"I think that sounds perfect."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hiiiiiiii :) I missed you guys.**

 **I don't know about you guys, but I have also missed this story. I'm sorry it took me forever to get this chapter out and that it was nothing but fluffy filler. Hopefully you still found it entertaining. Let's be real though. The whole story is fluffy filler. It took me a very long time to get back into the swing of this story for some reason. I would probably benefit from watching 7A again simply for the sake of getting back into the characters. But anyway. That's enough of my ramblings.**

 **PLEASE review and let me know what you thought! I'm excited to hear from you guys - it's been a while. As always, let me know if you have specific scenes you'd like to see, and I'll try to work them in somehow if I don't already have a plan for it.**


	12. Chapter 12

After lunch entered the conversation, it quickly became all Aria was able to think about. As she and Ezra left the parking lot of Babies R Us, they debated over where to eat. Aria was craving something greasy and Ezra was dutifully trying to remind her of the fact that she was vegan.

Or at least claimed to be.

Her stance on the matter had gotten significantly more blurred the further she progressed in her pregnancy.

In the end, Baby Fitz won out and Aria and Ezra found themselves on their way back home with one specific destination in mind: The Apple Rose Grille. Ezra could get whatever he wanted, and Aria would be able to satisfy her thirst for meat.

Ezra swiftly pulled up along the street and parallel parked, getting Aria as close to the entrance as possible. He threw the car into park, got out, and made his way around to help Aria do the same.

"You know, I'm not so pregnant that I can't open my own door," she said with a smile as he reached down to take her hand. He pulled her to her feet, and tried his best not to comment on the muffled grunt that came as she struggled to stand the first time.

"I know you're not," he said with a smile. He led her to the sidewalk and shut the door behind them, giving the key fob a punch, sending a short series of beeps into the air. "But that doesn't mean I can't still help you."

"You're very good at helping," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes too good."

Aria's stomach growled the second they walked through the door. "Oh my god, that smells good," she said, closing her eyes and leaning into Ezra's side. "What do you think that is?"

He slid his arm around her back and let his hand rest at her waist, grazing the space where her belly met her hip. "I would say that's hamburger," he said, sarcasm lacing his voice.

She looked up to meet his eyes, her mouth hanging half open in mock surprise. "Dick," she said through a laugh.

" _Dick_ ," he said right back, mimicking her cadence. He pulled her in a little tighter and kissed the top of her head. "You know I'll love you even if you eat meat, right?"

All Aria did in response was lean back to look at him, raise her eyebrows and mumble something unintelligible in acknowledgement. "As soon as she's out, I'm going back to my vegan ways."

Just as he was about to make a retort, a hostess walked over and led them to a table. Ezra pulled a chair out for Aria, holding her hand as she seated herself and helping her scoot into the table before moving across from her to take his own seat. He knew that by being overly attentive, he was probably doting on her too much, but he enjoyed it and she had yet to push him away. The fact that she was pregnant, and getting further along as the days passed provided the perfect opportunity to hold her hand just a little longer and pull her in a little closer. There had been many days where all he wanted to do was absorb some of what she had to go through, but he wasn't able to, and so, he had made it a point to go out of his way to make her pregnancy as easy as it possibly could be.

He might not have been doing a _perfect_ job, but he hoped that what he was able to do made her feel more comfortable. Or at the very least, loved a little extra.

Once Ezra was seated at the other side of the table, the hostess handed them each a menu and placed her arms behind her back. "Your waitress will be right with you," she said.

Aria leaned back in her chair, subconsciously resting a hand atop her round belly as she flipped through the menu. Ezra took a mental picture, memorizing the way her hair fell over her face in its small, messy pony tail, and the way she bit her bottom lip as she stared at the menu with intensity.

Even though he knew she would one hundred percent be eating a burger of some type, he appreciated the fact that she was at least giving the rest of the menu a shot.

When their waitress finally came by, Ezra and Aria each ordered water, and when she brought the drinks back to the table, Aria had pretty well decided that, as she expected, nothing else on the menu sounded as appetizing as a nice, greasy burger.

Damn Ezra's genes. Damn her hormones. Damn her vegan diet.

"Do you need a few minutes?" the waitress asked.

Ezra looked across to Aria who was still drooling over the menu. "I think a few minutes would be good," he said. "Thanks."

Aria looked up from where she'd been focused, trying to decide between fries or onion rings, and waited to speak until the waitress was out of earshot.

"Thank you for giving me an extra minute," she said. She reached out for her water and drank it halfway down before coming up for air. "I think I'll keep you," she said with a wink.

"Good," Ezra said. "I was worried you were thinking about exchanging me for Stacee."

"Ugh, no, she spells her name with two e's. I could never."

"Heaven forbid one have two e's in their name."

"It's a tragedy, really," she said. "Actually…" she looked over the menu, holding the edge so that it covered the bottom half of her face. "Do you care if I go use the restroom?"

Ezra smiled. "Do you want me to order for you?"

"Oh, _god_ , yes," she said. "Please don't make me order a double cheeseburger and extra fries. I'll be mortified. I love you."

"There's nothing wrong with being hungry, Aria," he said quietly. "Plus, you're growing a whole human."

"I know," she said defensively. Then, thinking better on it, she quieted her tone and said again, this time sweetly, "I know," and gave him a soft smile.

She laid the menu down on the table and started to scoot her chair back but paused a moment later. She stared at him, a lazy grin spreading across her face.

"What?" he asked.

Her cheeks tinged slightly and she looked about, checking their surroundings. "I wonder if they have a family restroom…"

"Aria Montgomery," he said slowly, eyes wide.

"What? It's just a question."

"A very _loaded_ question…"

She rolled her eyes, wondering briefly if he'd intended the pun or not.

She assumed not. He was a little too innocent to think that up on the spot.

She was about to slip her hand across the table and suggest that they satisfy a different kind of appetite first when she was interrupted by a kick to the bladder. Instead of sliding her hand into his, she moved it to her lower abdomen.

"Woo," she said, her face scrunching up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah; we're good. That was a hard one and she's still working on it." She smiled through the discomfort, looking down at a small, raised trail that was making its way across her waistline. "All jokes aside, she's sitting right on my bladder and I legitimately _have_ to go now, or we might have an embarrassing accident on our hands." Letting her shoulders relax and sufficiently pushing all horny feelings aside for the moment, she forced herself up and out of her chair.

"No onion," she said as she left the table in search of the restroom. She let her hand trail over his shoulder, dragging her nails across the sliver of skin exposed at his neck as she passed and leaned down to whisper, "I owe you."

As soon as Aria closed the door to the bathroom stall, her phone started ringing. She bent to peek under the stalls, checking to see if there was anyone else in the bathroom before pulling her phone out of her back pocket and answering the call.

"Hi, Mom," she said, squeezing the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

 _"Hi, honey, how are you?"_ Ella said on the other end. Aria did her best to maneuver into a sitting position while staying on the line.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice relaxing as her bladder was relieved. "Just using the bathroom."

 _"Oh, sorry, you didn't have to answer if this was a bad time…"_

"No, it's fine. We're out at lunch and I'm afraid I would forget to call you back later if I didn't answer."

 _"Baby brain,"_ Ella said.

"Yeah, something like that…"

Aria was trying her best to keep her voice down but it was hard in the tight, empty space. There was nothing on the walls to absorb the sound, so her conversation seemed to bounce from stall to stall. Just as she eased up and was resituating her pants, the door opened and she could make out the sound of footsteps coming inside and stopping at the vanity. Ella was in the middle of checking Aria's availability for her shower the following weekend when she had to cut her off.

"Mom?" She waited until she had Ella's attention. "I'll make sure that I keep my whole weekend free. I need to get going though. I can text you later if you need me to – or better yet, you just text me if you need something." She attempted to reach a leg up to flush the toilet, but the bump at her waist kept her legs from moving that high. Instead, she grimaced and reached a hand out, pressing down on the damp handle. She cringed as she pulled her hand back.

As she opened the stall door and made her way out, she told Ella goodbye and stuffed the phone back in her pocket. Then, there, staring back at her from the reflection in the mirror, was a face she had _not_ expected to see.

"Aria," said the woman before her, "I thought that voice sounded familiar! How are you?"

"Mrs. Welch," Aria said through gritted teeth, hoping against all odds that it seemed like a smile more than dread. "What are the odds?"

"Well you know Rosewood…" the older woman said. "It's hard to go out without running into _someone_."

Aria continued to grin and tried her best to push down the awkward feeling that was rising in her chest. She moved up to the sink and began to wash her hands, and as she reached forward for soap, her waist hitting the counter at the perfect spot, she watched Mrs. Welch's eyes grow as she took in Aria's belly, it's size, and the ring on her finger.

"Oh, my," she said. "When are you due?"

Aria inwardly blanched. She had half a mind to play it off like she wasn't pregnant. How anyone thought it was a good idea to assume a woman was pregnant was beyond her. Out of nothing other than spite and slight amusement, Aria wanted to make her old teacher feel the repercussions of a question of that nature. However, as she too looked down at her belly and then up into the reflection of her body in the mirror, she realized that there really was no way around it at this point.

Her small frame only accentuated the protrusion, making it terribly obvious that she would be giving birth in the coming months. Gone were the days of hiding under sweaters and scarves, of pretending like she'd simply gained a little weight. She was round and the baby was no longer sitting as low as she had been. Instead of saying any number of the things she _wanted_ to say, Aria instead smiled and continued to wash her hands.

"I'm due in about fourteen weeks," she said, looking to Mrs. Welch out of the corner of her eye. She pulled away from the sink and shut off the water, then reached for a paper towel to dry her hands.

"Congratulations. You have to be so excited."

"I am," Aria said. She threw the paper towel in a nearby trashcan and tried to finish the conversation by framing her belly and commenting on how exciting the whole experience had been so far.

Unfortunately, all that seemed to do was distract the woman from her tube of lipstick and cause her to think she was being given the go-ahead for more questions.

"So," she started, eyeing Aria's left hand. "I see there's a lucky someone in the picture…Are you still Aria Montgomery, or should I be congratulating you on more than one occasion?"

"Still a Montgomery," Aria said dryly, dragging out the word "still". She forced another smile, but her cheeks were beginning to feel taut. "We haven't set a date yet. Kind of waiting for this little lady to make her debut."

"I see," she said, seeming to finally catch Aria's reluctance to share anything further. "Well Ella must be very excited. I haven't seen her in a while—tell her hello?"

"I will," Aria said kindly.

Aria took this same moment to make her way toward the door, hoping that Mrs. Welch would stay behind and finish her business. However, as she dropped the tube of lipstick into her purse and followed Aria out the door, she realized that wouldn't be happening.

Now Aria was faced with another dilemma.

She could see Ezra straight on, though he had yet to see her on account of looking at his phone. Since Mrs. Welch was still rambling about what a great class Aria had been a part of, a fact Aria felt really _should_ be debated, she figured there wasn't a good chance the woman would change course until she either arrived at her own table or Aria sat down first. And judging by her pace, it didn't seem like she'd be reaching her table until after they would pass the table where Ezra was waiting for Aria.

Which meant Aria had two options. Take her seat opposite Ezra and deal with whatever Mrs. Welch's comment would be… or to pretend like she wasn't with him and hope to god he picked up on what was happening.

Just thinking about doing that to Ezra made Aria's stomach hurt. She couldn't pretend she wasn't with him.

Just as they were approaching the table, Ezra looked up and Mrs. Welch was _all_ too excited by the fact that she had now seen _two_ familiar faces. There was no _way_ she was going to keep moving without stopping to say hello.

"Oh my word," she said, cutting herself off from asking Aria about Mike and drawing the attention of a few nearby tables. "The chances of seeing you both here, and at the very same time? Aria, you remember Mr. Fitz, don't you?"

Ezra's eyes were wide as he looked between his pregnant fiancée slash ex-student and his former co-worker. His mouth had dropped a little in surprise and it was clear that he was fumbling as he tried to form words appropriate for the situation.

Aria cleared her throat and smiled between the two. "Yes," she said, nodding. "It's been a while since you two have seen each other, huh?" She chose her words carefully and lowered her voice as an attempt to keep listening ears from being privy to their conversation. She did _not_ need a simple lunch turning into a scene.

 _I should have lost her at the bathroom door…._ Aria thought.

"Ezra, how are you?" Mrs. Welch proceeded to ask. "Aria and I just ran into each other in the bathroom and we were talking about what a small town Rosewood is. Can't go anywhere without running into an old face…" Aria continued to stand, pleading silently for Ezra to fix this situation. Mrs. Welch just kept babbling. "How long has it been since you graduated, Aria? Has it been five years? I think it has… Five years—and to think so much has changed!"

She rather awkwardly stuck her hand out and placed it at Aria's midsection.

Ezra's mouth dropped open and he reflexively stuck a hand out to intervene.

Thankfully, Mrs. Welch was too much in her own world to notice.

"She's due in, what'd you say? Fourteen weeks?" She looked between Aria and Ezra. "And she's engaged. I tell you what, Ezra," she looked over to Ezra, her hand still on Aria's belly, "nothing makes you feel older than when you start running into students who are having babies of their own."

"I—" Ezra wanted desperately to say something, but he wasn't sure what. How do you bring up that you're marrying an old student…and that the baby she's carrying is actually yours?

Mrs. Welch let her hand drop back to her side and Aria visibly relaxed.

"I just can't get over the odds of seeing you both here. I'll tell you, this year's class is really just out of hand. We could use a teacher like you back at RHS. You always had a certain… _connection_. Don't you think Aria?"

Aria's mouth dropped open and Ezra's ears began to ring.

"Do you ever think of it?"

Ezra continued to stare at the spot where the older woman's hand had been resting on Aria's baby bump, weighing the awkwardness of telling her now or letting her find out some way later. His heart was beating too quickly. Surely she wasn't implying…

"I'm sorry?" he said.

"Of coming back and teaching," she said. "You had such a connection with the students! We have an opening, and the students this year could really use a good teacher like you; do you ever think of coming back? I'm sure I could put in a good word…"

"Oh," he let out a breath. "Well, I don't know if that it's really in the…" he looked to Aria, trailing off, his tone giving away his uncertainty. "I'm not sure that's in the plan right now."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure; between the coffee shop and your writing. I think I heard from someone that you have a new book out, is that right? Aria, you're really lucky to have been taught by someone as highly accomplished as Mr. Fitz," she said, looking to Aria, who quickly pulled her face together into an expression that showed less discomfort. She ran her hands down the front of her shirt and back, subconsciously wiping away the wrinkles and the awkwardness of the situation. By this point, she was sure the whole of Rosewood was staring at them.

"Uh, yes," Ezra said. This was his opening, his chance to say something…and he was going to take it. "Actually…Aria and I, we co-wrote that book. We're really excited about it."

Aria cleared her throat from behind Mrs. Welch's shoulder and made a face at Ezra, urging him to wrap the conversation up.

"Is that right?" she asked. "What a small world."

"Yeah," Aria added. The whole thing was moving painstakingly slow and it was clear that Mrs. Welch wanted nothing more than to stay for the rest of the afternoon catching up with Ezra. Which wouldn't have been any of Aria's business had the seat across from him not belonged to her.

But seeing as it did…and seeing as she was growing increasingly tired of standing with the extra weight she was carrying…

"Actually, uh, Ezra and I…" she eased herself into her seat and let a shy smile work its way forward, hopeful that it would ease the surprise of what came next. "We're engaged, and, well," she looked down and let her hands rest on her belly for the hundredth time. "I don't know if there's a lot else that needs to be said about this one," she said, her hands once again finding their resting place. She was genuinely smiling, and as soon as the words had left her mouth, she realized that she didn't care what Mrs. Welch thought. She wasn't a child anymore, he was no longer her teacher, and for all she knew, they'd reconnected sometime over these past few years and their whole relationship was totally kosher; totally without fault. "It's funny how things happen, isn't it?" she added for good measure.

Ezra was finally able to close his mouth as he watched Mrs. Welch process what was being said. It would be an understatement to say that the air around them was filled with awkwardness. It had far surpassed that and moved into a completely unknown territory.

Finally, it seemed she was able to speak—something that hadn't been hard at all until the curveball of all curveballs had been released.

"Well," she said quietly. "It seems many congratulations are in order." She visibly drew herself back, silently trying to wrap her mind around the situation. "I'm so very happy for you both," she said finally.

Aria nodded, her brow creased as she tried to assess whether or not there was any sincerity to her words. Ezra reached across the table, and held his hand out, silently asking for Aria's. When she placed her small fingers within his grasp, he traced his thumb over her knuckles.

Ezra looked like he was about to say something just as their waitress came back with a tray and their order. They dropped each other's hands and moved back, making space on the table for her to place their meals. Neither of them had ever been so thankful to see food.

"I should let you two eat then," she said.

"It was nice to see you," Aria offered.

"Yes, it was a great surprise. Tell your husband I said hello," Ezra said.

"I will," she said. She looked between them a moment longer but didn't say anything. She shook her head absently, as if to push away a distant thought, then adjusted her purse before making her exit.

Aria watched as she headed for the door and left the restaurant altogether.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" the waitress asked.

"No, thank you," Ezra said with a curt smile. As the waitress turned to leave, he gave Aria a wide-eyed glance. "I didn't think Mrs. Welch was ever going to leave," he said, his voice no more than a whisper.

"She was on her way out," Aria said. "I just watched her leave. No wonder she wasn't in a hurry." She picked up a fry and shoved it in her mouth, savoring the flavor and every ounce of grease. "You know, I always thought she had a little bit of a thing for you…I had her senior year for a lit class, and she'd always find some way to bring you up."

"Oh, stop, you're exaggerating," Ezra said before taking a bite of his own meal.

"No, I'm not," Aria said, a burst of laughter escaping between fries. "She seriously loves you. I could _feel_ the disappointment oozing off of her as I continued to hover. Clearly she wanted you to invite her to take a seat."

"Now you're just being mean," he said casually. "She's never been anything but sweet, and I think that could have gone much worse. We should be thankful she's as daft as she is."

"Well there's no doubt there. God, she almost caught us in school, what? Three, maybe four times?"

"I don't want to think about it."

"That one time, when I was very obviously _not_ there for help on an assignment...What were we even thinking? I was _entirely_ too close to you, and in a public setting."

"At _school_ ," he added. "Really, if we don't change topics I might lose my appetite."

"Fair," Aria said, picking up her burger and taking a bite. They chewed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, locking eyes every so often, each of them quietly remembering different instances when they could have easily been caught.

"It seems like you're getting more comfortable with announcing the baby," Ezra offered. He held a fist up to his mouth and talked around a mouthful of food. "Are you getting more excited?"

"I've always been excited," Aria defended, wresting her wrists on either side of her plate so that the grease from her burger didn't drip on her clothes. "It's merely gotten a _little_ easier to embrace being more forward with the news now that she's nearly impossible to hide."

Ezra raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. "Well let's just hope it comes as easily when we're telling my mother," he said dryly.

Aria looked past him and out the window, lost in imagining what that scene would look like. "God," she said, her voice filled with dread. "I do not look forward to that day."

By the time they got home, the sun was starting to set and the sky was growing darker by the minute. After lunch, Aria got another phone call from Ella and they'd had to swing by the Montgomery home to pick a few things up.

Aria went around the apartment, turning on lights as Ezra heaved the last of their purchases through the door. They had both been well aware that the apartment was small—too small for three people to live in—but it hadn't registered quite as well as it was in this moment. Standing there among all the boxes, knowing that it was only a fraction of what was to come made the realization strike a little more powerfully.

In just fourteen weeks, there would be a baby, and with that baby came a lot of stuff…and all of that stuff needed a _place_.

"Where are we going to put this," Ezra asked, leaning against the box containing the baby's crib. It easily stood as tall of Aria.

She eased herself down onto the couch, resting her elbow along the armrest and propping her head up with her fist. "I guess in our bedroom?" she offered. "We really need to find a bigger place. I have no idea what we're going to do."

"I know, I've been looking through the listings…but…"

"You don't want to stay here either, do you?" she finished for him.

"No," he said. "Do you?"

"Not particularly." Aria leaned her head back along the cushion behind her. I can't imagine living here for the rest of my life. I don't want to raise my kids here. Is that selfish? I want to be near my parents, but… _five, ten years_? I don't want to get trapped here."

"Then let's look for something nearby, but outside of Rosewood."

"You think?"

He pushed himself off the box and walked over to sit next to Aria, swiveling her legs around so that they were sitting in his lap. One at a time, he removed her shoes and her socks and began to massage her feet.

"Why don't we at least look? I think we owe ourselves at least that much. This town has put you through hell."

"You saw how happy Ella was though," Aria countered.

"Right now, I don't care about Ella's happiness." He stopped his movement on her feet and reached a hand out, letting it rest on her knee. "You two are my top priorities, and we're going to do what's best for you. It's okay if what's best for you…isn't Rosewood."

Aria moved her feet off his lap and turned so that her back was to his chest. She leaned back and let her head rest this time on his shoulder before looking up and into his downward gaze.

"I love you," she said. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"It's my pleasure." He touched his nose to hers then angled his head so that he could reach her lips. "Why don't we scope out a place to put the crib," he said. There was a glassy look in his eyes.

Find a place for the crib, they may, but it certainly would not be the reason they ascended the stairs.

* * *

 **AN: I know that didn't really serve a purpose, but I thought it would be funny if they ran into Mrs. Welch. I was planning on taking the month of November off to work on NaNoWriMo (personal writing, not fanfiction)...but that got to be like a chore, so I wrote something fun instead haha I don't know if I'll get another update in before December. Hopefully I can get focused and do what I was _supposed_ to do in November, but clearly I'm not on track right now. And if I stay off track, I guess that's better for you all...**

 **Let me know what you thought. There are a lot of fun scenes coming down the pike, and hopefully we start to get a little closer to a little someone's arrival. I don't want to drag this out forever, but at the same time, I'm having fun throwing random stuff in here and there. Please leave a review! They make my day and they help me gauge what type of scenes you like to see.**

 **Thank you to the guest who was concerned over whether or not I was doing okay - I am! I am 100% fine, just a lazy writer!**

 **Oh - and I wanted to send a special hello to Laura, if you're still reading that is ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

Spencer had a crazy look in her eye. There was a frown line starting to form across her brow and her mouth had been turned downward for the better part of a half hour. She and Aria were standing in line at the Party City checkout and they hadn't said a word to each other since they entered the queue.

The thing was, Spencer wasn't irritated with Aria, and Aria wasn't irritated with Spencer.

No… the problem was coming from the cell phone in Spencer's purse and the messages sitting in her inbox.

She had arrived late the night before and would be spending the weekend with Aria while Ezra was in Boston meeting with the publishers. Ever since Liam's outburst and the stress it had put on Aria, Ezra had taken on all book-related tasks that did not directly involve or require both authors. Regardless of whether or not they'd even be in the same vicinity as Liam.

Overhead, a woman's voice rang through the store, calling for a price check at the register just down from the one they were in front of. Aria eased back to look around the couple in front of them to see if she could tell how long they'd be waiting. The baby was sitting on her bladder and she was in _desperate_ need of a restroom. In her arms, she carried a bundle of paper plates, paper cups, silverware, and napkins. In Spencer's arms sat the streamers, the balloons, tiny clothes pins, and all other fun-inducing baby shower games and decorations.

The shower wasn't for another few days, and Spencer wasn't especially pleased that Aria was with her picking everything out, but in the end, she figured it didn't really matter if she saw the paper products beforehand. Everything else would still be a surprise.

"Next," called the woman from behind register one. Spencer eased up, taking the place of the couple that had been standing before them and Aria followed close behind.

"I have _got_ to pee," Aria said offhandedly.

"It shouldn't take much longer," Spencer said, nodding her head toward the couple at register one. "They only have a few things if that price check doesn't come back first. As soon as we get up there, you can drop your pile on the counter and hit the bathroom before we leave."

"I don't want to leave you up here all alone," she countered.

"Well it's not like you're paying for any of this; you might as well go to the bathroom before you wet your pants." She turned briefly to face Aria and shot her a wink.

Aria felt herself let out a small breath. Spencer was a pill when she was irritated and Aria couldn't stand when it was misdirected at her.

As if on cue, Spencer's bag buzzed again and she let out a low growl, rolling her eyes and standing a bit firmer in her spot.

"So help me god," she said, her voice low. "I'm going to lay into him so hard…"

"No," Aria said, cutting her off, "you're not going to do anything. You're going to give me your phone when we get to the car and I'm gong to delete all the messages. You don't need to see them, they don't mean anything."

"I can't just delete them without reading them first," she said.

"You won't be. I'll read them for you."

Spencer didn't say anything, but she gave Aria another glance, this one not as sweet.

The couple ahead of them gathered their bags and Spencer smiled toward the clerk before they even got the chance to deny another customer.

"How are you today," said the cashier, any possible emotion completely nonexistent.

Spencer continued to smile and didn't waste her time replying. She let the pile in her hands fall to the counter and pushed it to the side to make way for Aria's handful.

"Here," she said. "Put your things down here and go relieve yourself before a wet spot starts forming on your pants.

It didn't take anything else to convince Aria to obey and drop the pile of paper products onto the counter.

"Thank you," she said before waddling off toward the back of the store.

* * *

On their way home, they made a pit stop at the Montgomery household to drop all the shopping off. Ella was glad to see her daughter and was simply bubbling with excitement at the thought that the shower was just a few days away. She wouldn't let either girl in the house for fear that they'd see something and ruin the surprise. Spencer was to come back the next day, alone, and ready to decorate. There were going to be lots of balloons, a kitchen full of snacks, and plenty of excitement.

Aria honestly wasn't sure if she should feel overwhelmed or excited, but eventually determined that both were fair, though she might register a little higher on the overwhelmed end of the graph. She didn't particularly care for being the center of attention, and the closer it was getting to the shower, the more she was wishing Ezra could be there with her. Especially if Dianne was going to show up…that was a whole other ordeal, and one that she couldn't let herself think about at the moment.

As Spencer drove from the Montgomery's to the Fitz's, Aria reached out and grabbed Spencer's phone from the inside pocket of her purse.

"No, don't," she said, reaching out to grab it away. "It's fine, just leave it."

Aria snatched her arm back, out of Spencer's reach. "If you really don't want me to read the messages or delete them, I won't. But I don't think you should read them either. He's not being fair to you, or to Hanna." Aria stuck her tongue between her teeth and her lip in concentration as she waited for Spencer's reply, her hand still held near the window, just slightly above her head.

She knew she was being bold by butting her way into the situation and speaking so out of turn, but if you couldn't be honest with your friends when they were walking into dangerous territory, when could you? And besides, the baby hormones had been messing with her head lately and morality was a huge trigger. She didn't have a lot of patience for pettiness or any type of betrayal of trust. "You were so mad earlier," she added. "If you read them, it's just going to ruin your night. Please don't do that."

"I'm not going to let it ruin our night –"

"You might not mean to, but what if he says something really awful or what if you can't help replying or he sees that you're reading them and send something else, and Hanna sees your phone at dinner tonight and sees that you're getting a message from him? I _know_ you don't wan to hurt her."

"What's she going to think, Aria? He lives in California with her, and we're all grown adults anyway. I'm allowed to talk to him without it having some heavy, double meaning." Spencer might have been talking a little louder and a little more aggressively, but she didn't sound confident in her answer at all.

"Well Caleb might be living in California, but Hanna isn't," Aria started. She paused, picking at her nail polish as she waited for Spencer to say something. When the other side of the car remained silent, she moved her gaze back up. "She didn't tell you about the fight? About moving back to New York, about Caleb staying behind?"

Aria's face dropped and her hand held tighter to the phone, her thumb itching to open Spencer's messages.

"I can't believe she didn't tell you about any of that. Do you guys not talk?"

"No, we do…" Spencer's sentence fell away without a real answer. She turned and looked at Aria who had her head cocked and was giving her a look that clearly said, 'you're leaving something out.' "Okay, so we talk here and there but it's all very superficial. It's fine. We're in the best place we've been in months and I don't want to ruin it. If that means we don't talk about her personal life, or anything with Caleb, then so be it. Honestly, I don't think I could stand to listen to it anyway."

"I just figured she would have wanted to talk to you about it…but I guess Hanna's always been the best at giving someone the cold-shoulder when she's angry."

Aria's hands were now folded in her lap, the phone beneath them. If she kept a steady pressure on it, she wouldn't feel the need to address it.

" _Now_ what aren't you telling me?"

She snapped her head to look at Spencer.

"Nothing, I swear."

"Do you know what they were fighting about?"

"No," Aria insisted.

"You're lying, I can tell. You're not blinking and you have that…that overly-concentrated look on your face that makes it seem like you're pissed off."

"Maybe I am – pissed off," she tried. Spencer's face narrowed and Aria caved. "Okay, fine, but you have to promise to act like you don't know when Hanna is over tonight and at the shower on Sunday. Got it?"

"Yes, come on, just say it."

Spencer's hands tightened around the steering wheel and she took a turn down a side road, pulling into one of two small parking spaces along the alleyway beside The Brew and Aria and Ezra's apartment. She threw the car into park and leaned back, arms still stretched out in front of her.

"Is it that bad?"

Aria picked up the phone that was in her lap and flipped it over so that the screen was facing up. She clicked the home button and watched as more than six messages appeared from Caleb. She held the phone out to Spencer.

"Here," she said. "I would have filled you in earlier if I knew you didn't know what was going on. I guess I figured you and Hanna were closer. I mean, it makes sense that you aren't. I just…I forget sometimes that it got as messy as it did." Spencer raised her eyebrows at Aria, who pulled her lips together into a tight line. "Caleb might have been talking about you in his sleep, and when Hanna confronted him about it, he admitted that…he still had some feelings for you, and I guess the more they argued about it, the more she became convinced that you two had been seeing each other again."

The car was still spitting out warm air, and the radio was low, but Spencer's ears suddenly felt fuzzy. She was speechless. Aria placed the phone gently in her friends lap and retracted her hands. Spencer slowly pried each of her fingers off the steering wheel.

"I know you haven't seen him since he got back with Hanna, but I have a feeling he's trying to get back with you…and I don't want you to get hurt again. That's the only reason I wanted to check the messages for you…or delete them all together. But that's your call. That all might have made more sense if you knew where I was coming from earlier."

There always seemed to be something going on between Hanna and Caleb. Some kind of drama or heartache that kept them from being a happy, stable couple. Aria just hated that this time Spencer was unknowingly in the mix, especially after having lived it in real life once before.

"Does Hanna really think I…"

"No!" Aria said, turning more in her seat so that she was looking at Spencer straight on. "No, I don't think so. Not anymore. I told her that you were very single and had been for some time, and that you hadn't seen Caleb since the last time they were both here. I also told her that I thought you had moved on…even if that's not entirely true."

"Thanks," Spencer said, her voice quiet. She reached down and picked up her phone.

"Can I ask what it was that he sent earlier that upset you so much?" Aria said.

The car grew silent again as Spencer debated whether or not to speak. In all their years being best friends, there was rarely anything Spencer kept from Aria and Aria from Spencer. However, that did not mean that there weren't moments or aspects of their lives that they liked to keep private.

Caleb…didn't seem big enough to be one of them.

Spencer shifted her eyes up to meet Aria's. "He sent me a passage from a book that I was reading while we were in Europe. It's a tragic story about a pair of lovers who are destined for one another but can't seem to find happiness because things keep getting in the way. Now…it seems to make more sense. I'm sure these texts are more of the same."

Aria scoffed and then quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry," she said. "I just can't imagine you two as destined lovers. As much as you might have liked him, he most _definitely_ is not your destiny or your soul mate or an of that crap."

"Are you saying you don't believe in soul mates?" Spencer said in mock shock.

"Well, not exactly…just that you and Caleb aren't it."

They looked at each other in silence for a moment before Aria reached an arm out and grabbed hold of Spencer's elbow. She had a serious look on her face.

"And as much as I would love to keep talking about this, I have _got_ to go to the bathroom again. Don't blame me. Blame her." She pointed her hand downward toward her belly and they both began to laugh.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Aria and Spencer were in the kitchen, elbows deep in dinner preparations, classical music playing in the background and a two glasses of wine (well, one glass of wine, one glass of cranberry juice) between them. They exchanged jokes, reminiscing of old times, tossing in offhand comments here and there about how crazy it was that they were still friends with Ali and that the rest of them had been able to stay as close as they had at all. Once things with A had settled, they'd found a good groove, and though Spencer lived away, she made a point of staying in touch with Aria. They moved through the kitchen like air, a great team and a perfect pair. Where one left off, the other picked up.

Aria was finally feeling at the top of her game. She had energy, she could eat whatever she wanted, and just about the only thing that could bring her down was her need to use the bathroom every ten to fifteen minutes.

That might have been a slight exaggeration, but to her, that's how it felt.

"You've got a bit of carrot on your shoulder," Spencer said as she passed, carrying a pan full of cooked chicken over to the stove.

Aria reached up to brush her shoulder, setting the knife down on the cutting board. "I can't reach it," she said. "Can you get it for me?"

Spencer leaned back and reached over, pulling the sliver of carrot off her friend and flicking it into the trashcan that was between them. Aria pushed back her hair and picked up the knife again, resuming her work on the vegetables.

"How's that chicken look?" she asked. "Do you think this is going to be done in time? We should have started this before we left this morning and let it cook on low all day."

"It's not chili," Spencer said. "It's going to be fine."

Aria turned around indignantly, being careful of the knife. "It's still soup though and it's better the longer it cooks." When she had Spencer's attention, she raised the knife as if to gesture the validity of her statement. "You know I'm right. It's going to be weak and the spices won't have married by the time everyone else gets here."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Speaking of things that haven't married yet…when are you and Fitz going to bite the bullet and tie the knot?"

A low groan emitted from the small brunette. "I don't wan to talk about it," she said. She let the knife chop through a stalk of celery with a satisfying clunk of metal to wood. "We said we'd wait until after the baby was born, but I don't really want to anymore. I'm tried of something always putting us off. There are a million things that could get in the way if we let them…" She pushed all the vegetables to the middle of the cutting board and moved the knife so that it was away from the edge of the counter. Taking the cutting board with her, she walked over to stand beside Spencer at the stove.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Spencer asked.

"Yes and no," Aria said. She sat the cutting board down as Spencer added the broth to the butter and onion that had been heating over the stove as the chicken baked. "I hope you know I'm not pulling that chicken apart," Aria said offhandedly. "I'm okay when it's not still on the bone, but I can't touch it otherwise. Too gross."

"Oh, you're such a baby," Spencer said with a laugh. "Here, dump the vegetables in and give it a good stir, then add the egg noodles. The bag is sitting over there by the sink. I'll pull the chicken apart. This is going to taste great, and now you'll know how to make chicken noodle soup."

"I knew how to make it already, you're using my mom's recipe."

Spencer turned and looked at Aria, one hand outstretched against the counter and a sardonic look on her face. "Just because you had the recipe doesn't mean you knew how to cook it."

"Oh well, that's why they make canned soup."

"Don't give me that," Spencer said as she turned back toward the chicken and Aria made her way around her to the sink. "You're going to be the most domestic homemaker imaginable. Of all of us, it was always bound to be you. Admit it."

"What's wrong with that?" She carried the noodles over to the pot, measured out a few scoops, gave the bag a careful eye, and added the whole thing before leaning forward over the pot so that she would see a little better.

Spencer smiled to herself and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong with that and that's my point. Embrace it."

They continued on, adding a little extra pepper here and there, trying their best to make it taste just the way they remembered Ella's tasting when they were little. It was smooth and had the tiniest bit of kick to it. Not too salty, but not too bland either. Now that it was simmering on low, they could move to the rest of the room and set the table. It wasn't going to be a crazy evening, but they were still ambitious to try and squeeze everyone into the tiny apartment. Even though it wasn't exactly the size of a shoebox, it also wasn't much larger.

Just as Aria was about to reach into the cabinet to retrieve a stack of bowls, her phone began to ring on the table across the room.

"It's a Facetime," Spencer called over. "Do you want me to answer it?"

Aria continued to pull the stack of bowls out of the cabinet and sat them on the counter. "Who is it?" she asked as she made her way over. Spencer held the phone out to her and she took it, flipping the screen right side up so that she could read the name. "Oh, weird, it's Hardy." She raised both her eyebrows seductively at Spencer as she slid the lock screen over to answer the call.

 _"_ _Hey, little mama,"_ he said, his face filling the screen instantly.

"Hi, Hardy," Aria said, shooting Spencer a confused look. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

 _"_ _You will never believe who I ran into."_ He was shouting over the noise from the crowded bar around him, a hubbub of people trailed back and forth in the distance behind his head, and the camera swiveled as he slid out of view and put the camera on the man beside him.

 _"_ _Hey, babe,"_ Ezra said, a bright smile lighting his face from ear to ear. Aria burst into a smile of her own and sat down at the table.

"Hey yourself," she said. "Where are you?"

 _"_ _I'm in Boston,"_ he said. _"I stayed at the hotel all day working on some last minute things and the room was feeling a little cramped so I decided to try the car around the corner, JM Curley's…it's alright. Kind of tight."_ His eyes focused behind the phone for a second. _"Anyway, Hardy's telling me to wrap it up. I'm still not sure why he's here, but we ran into each other about ten minutes ago and I was catching him up on things. He wanted to say hi. Spencer taking good care of you?"_

At the same moment Aria spun her phone so that the camera would face Spencer, Hardy came back into the frame.

"Hi," Spencer said, giving the phone an awkward wave. "I don't know you, but it's nice to meet you."

Aria pulled the phone back to face her but found the screen to be a blurry image of a flannel shirt.

 _"_ _Who is that?"_ she heard Hardy whisper. She glanced at Spencer out of the corner of her eye and wondered for a moment if she'd heard him. She couldn't have planned a better accident if she tried.

Aria cleared her throat. "Ezra," she said, "Hardy, guys," she cleared her throat again. "Okay, Spencer and I are cooking dinner and the girls are going to be here any minute. I'll call or text you later, okay? Let me know when you get back to your hotel, and Hardy, please, _please_ don't get him wasted. He has a very important meeting in the morning."

 _"_ _Aria, we were getting wasted when you were still in diapers, I think we know what we're doing,"_ Hardy said, taking his phone back from Ezra.

"Okay, that's not at all true, but whatever. Take care of him, got it? He's got a family to provide for and I do not need you helping him into a ditch." She reached out and was about to hit the red end button when Hardy held up his hand urging her to hold on. "What?" she asked, laughing at the look on his face. Hardy was one of those people that made her slightly uncomfortable because of the way he liked to tease. That being said, she adored him all the same. He was Ezra's best friend, and she could tell why. He brought out a side of Ezra she rarely got to see.

 _"_ _Who's your friend?"_

Spencer's mouth dropped open and Aria had to try her best to keep from laughing. She glanced between Hardy's face on the phone and Spencer's right beside her.

"That's Spencer," she said, still looking at her, just out of the camera's view. She moved back to look at Hardy and directed her next question to him. "Would you like to talk to her?"

Spencer's eyes grew wide and she started making a motion across her neck with her hands, urging Aria to stop her teasing.

"Hardy, she's indisposed at the moment, but otherwise very available. Would you like me to give her your number?"

"Aria," Spencer warned, her teeth barred and neck tight with anxiety.

"What?" she said quietly, holding the phone to the fabric of her shirt so that Hardy couldn't see them talking. "You don't have to call him, but then the ball's in your court if you want to. He's really very nice. He'd be good for you."

"Stop trying to set me up with him. Did you plan this?" she mumbled.

"No," Aria mouthed. She shushed Spencer off toward the kitchen just as a knock came at the door. She pulled the phone back away from her shirt. "Hardy, I'd be happy to give her your number, but we have to go. Someone's at the door and the soup needs to be stirred. Tell Ezra to call me later."

Without waiting to hear his response, she hit the end button, shoved the phone in her back pocket and pushed herself up out of the chair. She gave Spencer a sideways glance at the stove as she walked across the room to answer the door.

"Who's being a baby now?" she asked. "It's because he's handsome, isn't it?" Aria stuck her tongue out and Spencer rolled her eyes, continued to stir the soup at the stove, and did not give Aria the satisfaction of commenting.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait, and thanks for your patience. I've got a lot going on right now so I haven't been able to focus as much attention on this as I'd like. I have a pretty good idea of what happens in the next chapter so hopefully it won't take so long to write. I need some new inspiration or something. I'm feeling kind of out of it with this extended hiatus.**

 **Leave a review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I know this isn't a long chapter, but I figure you all have been waiting what feels (to me) like decades for an update. So, I am gifting you about 1500 words with the promise that I will be writing on it more often. I might not get to post _every_ week, but I will try. Don't ask for exact posting date/times because I don't work that way haha **

**Hopefully you like it and hopefully I haven't worked myself into plot holes. It was a little hard to remember where I left things...**

* * *

It would be the understatement of the century to say that dinner was…uncomfortable. It was far worse than that.

Emily and Hanna had driven together because something was going on between Emily and Alison. No one had the guts to bring it up, but you could have cut the tension with a butter knife from the moment Ali walked through the door. They avoided talking to one another and stayed at least ten feet apart at all times. This, of course, was in addition to the tension that had started to build between Spencer and Hanna due to Caleb drama.

At least they had the decency to pretend like nothing was going on...even if it was evident on their faces.

At least Hanna's – Spencer was all right at masking her feelings, but Hanna had always worn her emotions on her sleeve in one way or another. History had shown that when Hanna was pissy, she was _pissy._

Having all four girls in some sort of tiff with one another didn't make the night any more enjoyable. The drama had never been Aria's favorite aspect of their friendship, and no matter how old they were, it didn't seem like the drama lessened. Aria noticed about halfway through the night that she had taken to anxiously rubbing the side of her belly as she watched it all unfolding before her. Every once in a while she would catch Spencer's eye and try to determine whether or not anything should be said. In the end, the moment never really felt right. There was also the small fact that they'd have to all be together again on Sunday for the baby shower.

Yes, it was just at her parent's house, and just a shower, but she wasn't overly excited about the idea of having _more_ tension and in front of all her family no less.

By ten thirty, Spencer was in the kitchen loading the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher and Aria was locking the door, forcing Emily, Hanna, and Ali to take their attitudes with them.

When the room had gotten too quiet and everyone looked like they were in some sort of physical pain, she'd pulled out the pregnancy card and complained of being tired.

Thankfully, they'd all jumped on the opportunity to cut plans short and rushed to gather their things. In all their years of being friends, there hadn't been many moments when they'd bickered over catty things. Usually there was something bigger to take the front stage…like a stalker. Their teenage strife had stemmed from life-threatening blackmail and being abducted – one would think that the universe would give them a break. Either way, the evening had felt more like high school than high school ever had and she was glad that it was coming to an end.

As she turned around, she felt herself fall into the door with a sigh.

"I have no idea how we're going to get through Sunday," she said, pushing herself off the door and into the next room.

Spencer eased the dishwasher shut and jabbed a few buttons, sending a woosh of water through the inside. "Tell me about it," she said. "At least you'll be obligated to move about and chat with other people. I'm pretty much stuck talking to them or your mom."

"Won't your mom be there?"

"No; she has to go to D.C. – it was last minute. I didn't think you'd care," Spencer said.

"No, I don't mind," Aria said. "Now I'm just _more_ sorry for you…" She trailed off and fiddled with the lid on a box of cashews, popping it open and dropping a handful into her mouth. "Is Emily sleeping with Sabrina? What was that about the art show next weekend?"

"Oh my god," Spencer said, crossing her arms in front of her and covering her mouth with one hand. "I have no idea, but if looks could kill, Emily would be splattered across your wall and Ali would be getting carted off to jail."

"I cannot believe she even brought it up tonight," Aria said, scratching a fingernail at something on the counter. "I mean, _seriously_? I don't believe for a second that Emily is actually interested in attending an _art_ _show._ I have never seen her act so passive aggressive."

"Seriously. I guess this means she's not staying at Ali's anymore?"

"I guess," Aria said. "Speaking of which. Any chance you want to head to bed? I was only kind of lying when I said I was about to fall asleep at the table."

Spencer laughed lightly. "Yeah, that's fine," she said.

"You're welcome to stay up and watch TV if you want," Aria said, holding out both hands. "We have Netflix and a pretty decent selection of twenties film noir if that piques your fancy."

She laughed again, this time a little stronger. "You make staying up sound _so_ enticing."

Aria gave her a mock look of shock. "I'll have you know we live a riveting life, full of excitement," she said.

"Oh," Spencer said quickly, cutting her off and reaching out both hands as if to physically stop her. "There is no doubt in my mind that you lead a riveting life. I just don't think it's well displayed through your movie collection."

Aria's mouth dropped open, feigning shock herself. "Well, I'll let you think that if you want," she mumbled under her breath as she turned away and began to walk toward the stairs.

"What was that?" Spencer said, walking faster to catch up with Aria, though she wasn't moving as fast as she thought she was.

"Nothing," Aria said, reaching for the banister. "If you don't want to find the interesting part of our DVD collection, that's on you."

"What!" Spencer shouted through a burst of laughter, stopping dead.

Aria turned around just in time to see Spencer turn and begin back down the stairs.

"Spencer, I was joking!" she shouted after the brunette. Spencer turned and gave her an uncertain look.

"I don't know whether or not to believe you…" Spencer said, teetering between the stairs and the living room.

"What, are you going to watch them if you find them?"

 _"_ _There's more than one?"_

Aria's eyes went wide and a small, embarrassed smile crept across her face. Almost immediately, and as fast as her small legs would carry her, she turned and fled back up the stairs, hoping that Spencer would follow.

When they were both upstairs and Spencer had finally stopped laughing at the, Spencer found herself commenting again on how exhausting Emily and Ali's relationship was.

"For two people who have gone back and forth as long as they have, one would think the game would get old," Spencer said.

"Maybe that's what they like about it though," Aria offered.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…the chase. I'd be lying if I denied that part of the excitement with Ezra at first was that he was so much older. So sue me."

"You do realize it could have gotten a lot worse than suing…" Spencer noted.

"That's not the point," Aria said. "Maybe what attracts Emily to Ali is the fact that she's always been on the border of admitting she like's girls…and is it so far-fetched to think that Ali just likes playing with Emily's heart? I'm not saying that's what's going on, I'm just saying…sometimes in a certain light, that's what it looks like."

Spencer seemed to think about it for a minute as she took her shoes off and changed her clothes, but in the end she just shook her head and shrugged. "Whatever it is, it's not fair – to either of them."

"I know," Aria agreed. She patted the bed next to her. "You're still good to be my bed buddy, right?"

"As long as there aren't DVD's involved all of a sudden…"

"No, Spencer," Aria said, rolling her eyes. "I promise, no DVDs." She pulled back the sheets and Spencer sat down, burying her feet in the blankets beside Aria.

They sat in the comfort of each other's company, chatting about nothing in particular for a long time. The more the giggled, the less sleepy Aria became. Eventually they both worked themselves into a state of slap happiness, and Aria felt like she had traveled back in time.

"I have really missed you," she said, turning on her side and looking to Spencer. "Please promise that we'll always make time to get together and have slumber parties."

"Oh, of course," Spencer said. "You, me, and Baby Fitz. We'll have girls nights all the time – full of snacking and nail painting and chick flicks…"

Aria let a sleepy smile creep across her face and felt her eyes drooping as she grew tired once more. "That sounds really nice," she said. "I wish we lived closer."

"I know," Spencer said, hearing the exhaustion in her friend's voice. "Maybe one of these days we'll find ourselves in the same town again." She didn't know if that would ever really come to be the case, but she hoped in the future maybe it would be. Life really wasn't the same without her best friend. "Get some sleep," she said, pulling the covers up a little. "Tomorrow is almost here, which means Sunday is right behind it."

Aria grunted a little, a soft acknowledgment of the truth, and closed her eyes. Spencer laid back and looked up at the ceiling as she listened to Aria's breathing slow down until it was a soft, rhythmic pattern. She was tired, but at the same time, her mind was racing. She didn't want to drag her personal issues with Hanna into the baby shower, and she really didn't want Ali ruining anything for Aria. Ali had a habit of making her issues everyone's issues. She'd have to have a chat with all of them – put her personal reservations behind her and remind them that they were adults.

She looked over and watched her small friend sleep, watched her chest rise and fall and looked with admiration as the bump (which had grown a surprising amount since the last time she'd really stared at it) rose and fell with her. If she'd been unconvinced that they were really, truly adults before, this was evidence enough.

In nearly three months, there would be a sixth lady to their pack, and Spencer found herself feeling personally responsible for making sure that their bond was stronger than ever before she arrived. Aria had enough on her plate…something Spencer knew would be amplified when Ezra arrived back home from Boston.

At the mere thought of what Aria didn't yet know, Spencer felt a wide grin spread over her lips. She buried her head in her pillow and pressed her hands underneath it, between the pillowcase and the sheets. Nothing was as sweet as friendship, and no one was as sweet as the friend beside her. She wished her all the happiness in the world, and would do anything to ensure it.

* * *

 **AN: As always, I would love to hear from you. What do you think Spencer knows that Aria doesn't? How do you think the baby shower will go down?**

 **Read and Review!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Part 1

**Part 1**

Aria was surrounded by a barrage of pink and blue frill and she absolutely hated her life.

Ella was bustling around, making sure that all her guests were taken care of, a distraught and slightly crazed look on her face. Every time she popped over to offer Aria a fresh glass of water, the small brunette felt herself retreat a little further. Spencer was sitting at her side, her hands crossed at her lap, and a few of her fingers gingerly resting at Aria's waist. Whenever Ella pressed Aria too far and Spencer could feel her friend's body begin to tense, she let her fingers press into the woman's side, reassuring her that it would all be over soon.

After the fifth attempt at persuading her mother that she _still_ was not hungry, Aria leaned her head back along the couch and let out a low breath.

"Tell me again why all this was necessary?" she said, leaning her head over to Spencer and keeping her voice quiet enough that she couldn't be overheard.

"It's your mom's first grand baby…" Spencer said, nudging her. "Cut her some slack?"

Aria groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Have to what?" Hanna said, throwing herself down into the couch on the other side of Aria.

"Play along and let her mom have a good time," Spencer said, leaning around Aria.

"I say juice this pregnancy for all it's worth," Hanna said, picking at a cookie and brushing the crumbs to the floor. "I'd be using it as an excuse left and right. This is your party – you should get to do what you want."

"The expression is 'milk it'," Aria said. "'Milk it for all it's worth'…" She reached over and pinched off a piece of Hanna's cookie and raised it to her mouth. "Do you mind? " She popped it in her mouth and practically swallowed it whole, not waiting for Hanna's reply. "I don't want to ruin my mom's fun, you know…I just don't want her to force feed me all day or get all worked up because she's nervous." She reached out for another bite of the cookie.

"By all means…" the blonde said, rolling her eyes and handing the whole thing to Aria. "Has anyone seen Emily?" she asked, craning her head to see around the room.

Spencer tried to subtly clear her throat, signaling to Hanna that she should stop while she's ahead, but the action wasn't subtle enough.

"I thought she was in the kitchen," Aria said, looking between Spencer and Hanna. "Didn't she walk in with you guys? I haven't seen her come out…"

"Yeah, yeah," Spencer said, still trying to cover something up. "I think you're right."

Hanna's eyes grew wide and she nodded, keeping eye contact with Spencer. "That's right," she said. "I forgot she stayed in there to help set the dessert tray."

Aria looked suspiciously between them.

"I think I'm going to get another cookie," Hanna said. "Aria, do you want me to bring one back for you?" She had the rest of Hanna's firs cookie raised to her mouth, a fraction away from stuffing it.

"No," she said, letting her hand drop to her lap. "I'm not even hungry. I'm just dreading all of this." Hanna nodded and Ari and Spencer watched as she walked off toward the kitchen. "You two recovered pretty quickly," Aria said in a hushed tone.

Spencer gave her a tight-lipped smirk. "Perks of having a pregnant best friend? When you put everything into perspective, being petty is, well… pretty petty. We talked this morning. I think it's all worked out for now. This day is about you, anyway." She gave Aria a wink and a nudge. The action sent the baby into a whirlwind and suddenly Aria's belly began to ripple in a slow, melodic fashion.

"Now you've done it," Aria said, putting her hand over the movements. "Aunt Spence got you all worked up, huh?" She reached over and pulled Spencer's hand to her abdomen. "Here, since it's your fault, you can try to calm her down. That or she'll end up kicking my bladder and I'll pee on the couch, effectively covering you in pee too."

"Ever the avid writer, aren't you," Spencer said sarcastically. "Thank you for that colorful depiction. I don't think I'll be able to get the idea out of my head." She ran her hand in smooth circles over Aria's belly just as a few of her relatives walked over to interrupt the moment.

The hours carried on in much the same way – it seemed as soon as Aria was relaxed and enjoying her time, someone distant or nosy or just simply not someone she cared to talk to came over and interrupted her. She was thankful that they had all come out to celebrate with her, and she was enjoying herself a little bit. But, in all honesty, she just wanted to be home. She found herself glancing at the time every five minutes, anxiously counting down the minutes to Ezra's return home and the time when she'd be able to escape back to their little corner of peace and quiet.

She had turned into a homebody and she wasn't ashamed to admit that.

Aria was a little over half way through the table of gifts when the doorbell rang. Ella was seated next to her, a notepad on her lap, and the general space around her covered in pieces of tissue paper and wrapping. She looked up in confusion then looked around the room in search of someone closest to the door. The girls were sitting in the far corner of the room, mostly by themselves.

"Emily," she asked, throwing the room into an awkward, paused silence. "Would you mind getting the door? I'm not sure who we're missing, but if it's not someone for the party, just ask them to come back another time."

"Sure," Emily said, pushing herself off her chair.

Ella encouraged Aria to go on with opening gifts so that the flow didn't get interrupted much more, but it wasn't two seconds later before they heard the distinct sound of heels thudding along the hardwood, followed by the soft pattering of Emily's sneakers.

Spencer saw her first and her mouth dropped open, probably too far. The face didn't register with Hanna or Ali, and Emily only knew who she was from having been introduced at the door.

Aria and Ella both looked up at the same moment and their expressions could not have been more different.

"Dianne," Ella said with excitement. "I'm so glad you could make it!" The whole room seemed to turn and look at the new guest at once. "Everyone," Ella said, "this is Dianne Fitzgerald, Ezra's mother."

Dianne gave the room a fake smile. Aria blanched at the amount of syrupy sweetness she piled behind it. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said evenly. "I got a later start than I'd planned and the drive was longer than I remembered."

"No worries," Ella said. She reached a hand around Dianne's back and walked her over to an empty seat, conveniently beside Aria. The seat had been too close for comfort before, anyone who would have sat there too close to the action, but now it seemed like the chair was practically in her lap, her mother-in-law-to-be sitting right there with it.

Aria dared a glance at Spencer and the others as Dianne passed in front of her. Their faces all reflecting what she was feeling. Part shock, part annoyance…part distaste in the fact that she actually had the nerve to accept the invitation.

When Aria had suggested to Ezra that they invite her to the wedding and tell her about the baby, she hadn't really been thinking through what that would mean for her…a minor, but weighty oversight on her part. She was thankful for the box in her lap. She'd have to stand and endure the scrutiny later. Preferably when she _wasn't_ in front of a room full of people.

"Aria," Dianne said as she removed her jacket and seated herself in the chair. Her tone was just as curt as ever and Aria felt every insecurity she'd ever had wash over her once more. "How good to see you."

Surely no one else could miss the amount of distaste that was rolling off her tongue. Aria took in a deep breath and tried to smile through it.

"Dianne," she said, "it's so good to see you. I'm glad you could make it."

As she turned her attention back to opening the gift in her lap, she caught Spencer walking out of the room, her eyes noticeably locked on the screen of her phone.

 _"_ _Now would be the perfect time to get a text from –A_ ," she thought, the idea alone almost enough to send a ghost-like vibration from the phone in her pocket. _"Where's that bitch when you need a good excuse to leave?"_

* * *

 **AN: Thought I'd post the first part so you have something to read while I finish the chapter. I feel like a lousy fic author for making you all wait so long between posts. This show is just dragggggging and I keep waiting for the spark to hit me, but I don't think it's there anymore.  
**

 **Anyway :) I promise to do my best to finish this fic out. Hold me to it. Keep your eyes out for part two, hopefully by the end of the day.**


	16. Chapter 15 - Part 2

When all the gifts and cards were finally opened, Aria was released from sitting at the front of the room. She politely stood, thanked everyone for their kindness, gave them a polite and heartfelt smile, and made a beeline for the bathroom, grabbing her mom's wrist as she passed, pulling her along behind her.

"What the _hell_?" she said once the door was closed behind them.

"What?" Ella said, her face contorting into a look of surprise. "I thought it would be nice to invite her – that's her grandchild too, you know," she said, pointing at Aria's midsection.

Aria subconsciously threw a protective hand over her belly. "I know that," she said, "but you could have given me a heads up," she said. "When did you invite her? Did you know she was coming?"

"I sent her the invite with everyone else's, and no, I didn't. She never replied…I just assumed that I had overstepped my boundaries…that it never arrived…or that she couldn't make it."

"Mom," Aria said, bracing herself at the sink. "You don't understand. I mean, on top of the fact that she doesn't like me –"

"Honey, how could anyone dislike you?"

Aria didn't even respond, she just tilted her head and looked down her nose.

"Yes, well, if you treat them like this, then I could understand." Ella folded her arms in front of her and moved her weight so that it was balanced on one hip. "I'm sorry that you didn't want her to be invited – I just didn't think it was fair to leave her out of it." She gently threw her hands up, an act that always made Aria feel guilty.

Ella spun toward the door to leave and Aria reached out for her elbow, stopping her.

"Mom," she said quietly. Ella turned around and looked at Aria with saddened eyes. "Never mind," she said. "Thanks for including her."

Ella smiled, then lifted a hand to Aria's face and ran her fingers down her daughter's cheek.

"I still can't believe my baby is having a baby of her own," she said quietly.

"I know," Aria said, her eyes starting to water over. "Me either."

Ella gave her a peck on the forehead and let herself out of the restroom, but Aria stayed behind. She locked the door as soon as it clicked shut and turned on the fan so that she wouldn't be overheard, then pulled out her phone and began to punch Ezra's number, wiping the tears that had built up with the back of her other hand. It only rang a few times before he picked up.

 _"_ _Hello?"_ he said over the receiver.

"Ezra," she said in a rush, "please tell me you talked to your mom when you said you would." She let out a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't be able to hear the tears through the phone.

His voices was muffled and Aria could almost imagine him putting one hand up to his ear so that he could hear her better too. _"What do you mean?"_ he asked, his voice too loud.

Aria lowered her voice even more but tried to speak more slowly and more clearly. "I mean the baby…please tell me you talked to her – that she knew I was pregnant before today – because she's standing in my mother's living room at my baby shower and I think I might go into premature labor."

Dead air filled the space between them, filtering through their cell phones like heavy water.

 _"_ _Fuck_ ," he said. _"For fucks sake, of course she's there…"_

Aria groaned inwardly and eased her back up so that it was pressed against the wall. She needed the extra support.

"I'll take that as a no," she said. "Great."

 _"_ _Aria…I am so sorry; I don't even know how she found out about it."_

"I'll tell you how she found out," Aria said. "My mom invited her – and she had every right to. Why would she feel like she needed to ask if your mom knew I was having your baby? Why wouldn't we tell your mom? We never tell my parents about our interactions with her, or lack thereof…" She rolled her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry I can't be there, babe," Ezra said. He sounded ashamed and Aria knew that this was going to eat at him until he got home. Dianne made him anxious enough on a regular basis. Under these circumstances, he was liable to have an aneurysm.

"It's fine, Ezra," she said quietly.

She took the phone away from her ear, letting it dangle in front of her as she propped one arm against her other elbow. Raising it back to her cheek and staring at her reflection in the mirror, she gathered all her energy and said, "It's not your fault. Either one of us could have called her at any point. I know it was originally my idea, but I wasn't really interested in being the one to tell her either." She paused for a minute, catching her reflection in the mirror. "But, she's here, and I think I've only grown since you left for Boston…so no time like the present, right? It's fine; I'll handle it. No worries."

She let him apologize a few more times before ending the call and closing her eyes. A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

Aria composed herself as much as she could before flipping the fan off and opening the door. She was relieved to see Hanna's face on the other side.

"What are you doing in there?" she asked. "I saw your mom walk out a few minutes ago and I expected you to be right behind her." She stepped in closer to Aria as they walked across the hall and stood quietly by the stair banister. Looking out across the room, Hanna leaned in and whispered, "Guessing you didn't invite the Wicked Witch from the North?"

"Guessed right," Aria said. She fidgeted with the elastic of her outfit, tugging for a little extra room in places where room wasn't really available. Dianne's ears must have been burning, because at that exact moment, Dianne looked up from where she was mingling with Aria's grandma and made the most awkward brand of eye contact with the two girls. "Please don't leave me," Aria whispered.

Hanna reached out and lightly grabbed Aria's waist. "Unfortunately this one is all you. I'll go find Emily and come up with an excuse to drag you off in a minute. Just…stay nice."

"Han –" Aria started, just as the blonde was turning around and Dianne was within earshot. She let out a muffled grumble then did her best to smile through her tight lips. "Hi, Dianne," Aria said.

"Hello, Aria. I didn't expect to me like this." She gave her a once over. "I have to say, motherhood suites you already."

"Thank you."

Aria was stuck and she didn't know what to do. She could play it cool… pretend like she'd tried to call or left a message or sent a letter and it had simply never been received…or she could embrace the terribly awkward and uncomfortable situation she was in and addressing the elephant in the room so that they could all go on with their day.

After a few seconds of seriously considering playing it off like she wasn't in the wrong, she remembered that she was trying to start as fresh as possible. Not only should she be the bigger person, but she should do her best to not lie unless absolutely necessary. Though it would have been easy to convince her that this was one of those necessary moments, the pregnancy hormones must have been clouding her judgment. Before she could even think to take it back, she was apologizing and groveling.

It was a moment she wasn't especially proud of.

"We meant to tell you so many times, but it never…felt right," she said. Dianne's face was cold, like an ice sculpture. It reminded Aria horribly of the time she'd been offered payment if she broke things off with Ezra. Funny enough, both instances involved the same woman, and that woman was his mother. "You are allowed to be upset with me as much as you want, but please. Don't hold this over Ezra."

Mrs. Fitzgerald was silent and the room around her seemed to have grown silent as well – even though it was still filled with people talking happily and taking bets on what gender the baby would be. (In her efforts to avoid eye contact, Aria noted that Spencer was taking advantage of the fact that she had, well, and unfair advantage. She had quite a pretty penny pinned on the guess that Ari and Ezra would be having a girl. Aria would have to challenge her friend's conscience later.)

"Aria," Dianne said, pressing her lips together slightly after the name rolled off her tongue. She seemed to press them there against each other longer than necessary – perhaps ensuring her lipstick was in good shape, perhaps thinking carefully before she spoke. "I want to be very clear. I do not approve of your relationship with my son. I don't know that I ever will. You encourage a certain…habit of his, and I'm afraid it's one that has done him no favors."

Aria could feel her face growing hot. Her eyes were narrowing and her fists were beginning to clench.

"However," Dianne continued. "I see no reason in punishing a child for the lot they've been dealt. When I received your mother's invitation, I was confused, and quiet honestly, very disappointed. I didn't realize you had rekindled your friendship with Ezra after all this time, much less your romantic involvement with him. That being said, I have taken the time to wrap my head around the idea and I'd like to strike a deal."

"Listen," Aria said, cutting her off. Her hand subconsciously moved to cover her unborn daughter again. "If you think you're about to offer some monetary "fix" you're wrong. I will not let you make me, or Ezra, or this child feel like any part of this situation is wrong, except for your involvement. Which, by the way, is only possible if I allow it. You don't have any rights here, and if you _at all_ wish to see your grandchild grow up, I advise you choose your next words carefully." She tried to quell the beast that was rising within her. She had not intended to go into this conversation with an edged tongue, but sometimes hold habits die hard…and sometimes what happens happens.

Thankfully, Dianne seemed to sense that she'd started off on the wrong foot and she reached out a hand, waving it in the space between their bodies.

"No," she said. "You've misunderstood, and I take responsibility for that." She retracted her hand and let it sit on her chest below her collarbone. "I would very much appreciate if you'd keep me updated on how you're doing – all three of you. Please tell Ezra that, if he's ever interested, I would like to have the chance to start fresh. Circumstances…" she glanced at Aria's waistline again, and for a split second, it seemed like she wanted to reach out and touch Aria's belly. "Let's just say, I'm seeing things in a different light. Some things have been put into perspective. I, at the very least, don't think it's right for a child to not know their grandparents."

"I agree," Aria said – and she meant it.

* * *

 **AN: This was the last scene I wanted to write before I moved forward a bit. We'll most likely see a jump in time, and hopefully some things will progress ;) I don't want this story to last past the series finale. Hopefully you're not bored with it yet. Let me know if there's something you feel like you HAVE to see before it ends and I'll try to work it in. I've got a vague outline in my head, but I'm open to suggestion.**

 **Read and Review, please!**

 **Kisses**


	17. Chapter 16

Two whole months had passed, and in that time, the only notable thing that had happened was the growth of Aria's midsection. She was becoming less and less enthralled with the way her daughter seemed to take up every spare nook and cranny of her body, and (if it were possible) she was _even less_ enthralled that her daughter had started creating space of her own.

The miracle of life was miraculous and all, but after a while…it got old.

Pregnancy seemed to have finally lost its glamor and Aria found herself itching to have her body to herself again. She'd been warned that this day would come, but she hadn't wanted to believe it.

Now, as she sat with her feet propped up on the ottoman, a bowl of popcorn at her side, and the remote control resting in balance (for the time being) atop her eight-month-round belly, she let out a deep sigh and tried to re-position herself into a state that put slightly less pressure on her bladder.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know." She let out a huff.

"Everything okay in there?"

Ezra sat behind her at his desk, typing and clicking away as always. Ever since he'd come home from his trip to Boston, he'd seemed preoccupied – and not in an I'm-writing-a-new-book sort of way – which would have been forgivable. At first Aria had pestered him about it to no end, but that had only resulted in heated arguments about trust and personal space. Sometimes he'd get a phone call go all the way down to the brew to answer it. Other times, there were meetings that required late night drives into the city.

It wasn't that Aria was not longer curious or had stopped caring; she'd just simply lost the energy to nag him about it all the time. The fact was: she trusted him. Trust would have to be enough.

So instead of making a pointed remark about the fact that he'd spent the better part of an hour behind her at his desk instead of watching the movie they'd picked out together, she simply replied "yes" and shoved another handful of popcorn into her mouth.

She felt the tension in the air swell like a balloon. She heard his chair swivel around and she could just picture him, sitting with his elbows propped along the armrests, his hands dangling somewhere near his knees.

"Aren't you going to ask what I've been doing all night?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not wasting my breath."

It should also be mentioned that her patience was in short supply. Though this development wasn't exactly new to the third trimester.

Ezra pushed himself out of his chair and made his way around to the edge of the couch, sitting down beside her. He took the remote off her bump and hit the pause button before tossing it to the ottoman.

"Not even if it involves a surprise?" He brought her legs up onto his lap, massaging her feet.

"That depends on whether or not the surprise involves pie…or a pair of pants that miraculously contains all of this," she motioned to her waist, "and doesn't make me feel like I'm wearing a body suit."

He gave her an incredulous look. "I don't know that I can do anything about the pants situation, but if pie is what it takes to get your attention, I can make arrangements."

She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes in thought. "You have my attention."

"Good," he said, his mouth turning up at the corner into an excited grin. "Aria Marie Montgomery…"

She cut him off with a snort. "You've already asked me to marry you, you goof. What are you proposing now?"

"Will you let me finish, woman?" He stopped massaging her feet and instead spread her legs so that they were on either side of him. Ever so gently, he pulled her toward him until she was positioned on his lap, both legs on either side of his waist.

"Ezra," she said through a fit of laughter as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. Her words lilted off into a saddened plea. "I don't move like I used to…please be careful." She let out an uncomfortable sigh. "Everything aches."

"Sorry," he said, freezing his body buy letting his head stay buried beneath her hair. She smelled of sweat and something sweet. Her perfume, or maybe just shampoo – whatever it was, the combination was distinctly Aria. "How would you like to live in Boston again?"

Ezra had his eyes closed as the words left his lips. He'd put so much behind this one question that he wasn't sure what he'd do if she said no. He could feel her small frame freeze against his chest and he was almost certain he could feel her heart beating.

"Okay," he started, breaking the silence. "Let me try and sell it to you a little. I already have a condo picked out, and if your answer is yes, we close this weekend. It's pretty centrally located, right outside of the historic district. It's got a lot of character…plenty of space to grow. Rosie will have her own room, we'll have an office…it overlooks the most beautiful park. I know you'd be leaving a lot behind, but think of what this would mean for us. The publishing world is vibrant there. The only person we have to risk running into is Liam and I don't give a fuck about him anymore…"

Aria pulled his face up to look into her eyes and before he had the chance to say anything else, she crushed her lips against his.

"Ezra," she breathed between kisses. "It sounds perfect."

"You're sure?"

There were probably ten different things Aria could have said that would have let him know she was sure, but she never got the chance. Before she could open her mouth, a ripple carried across her belly. There, between them, they felt the undeniable agreement from their little third party. In that moment, all either of them could think about was their child, and what as best for her. They couldn't afford to let this town swallow her whole like it had them.

* * *

Days bled into each other as Aria and Ezra closed on their new home and began to pack up their life in Rosewood. Ella and Byron were overjoyed to hear that their daughter was getting the chance to start fresh in a new place, with her new family. Of course, that didn't mean they weren't saddened at the idea of being apart.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? Wouldn't you like me to come up and stay for the first month or so? It's going to be so much to get used to…especially with a new baby."

Aria had been on the phone with Ella for the better part of an hour. She and Ezra were currently sitting cross-legged on their bedroom floor, boxing up their room, throwing pile after pile of clothes into suitcases and boxes, doing their best to get rid of anything that wasn't essential. Ella was on speakerphone between them.

"It's going to be fine, Mom. Remember – this is why you and Spencer agonized over your calendars for a week and a half." Aria rolled her eyes and Ezra shook his head in response, staying out of it. "I'm scheduled to be induced on the 18th and that's only if the baby hasn't come before then. You're going to be there the first week after I've given birth, then there will only be one week between you leaving and Spencer arriving...if it helps you not worry, remember that I am _not_ a single mother. I do have Ezra here…and Hardy lives in the area too, so…"

"But do Ezra and Hardy really count for anything?" Ella cut in.

"Mom!" Aria looked up at Ezra and mouthed _sorry_. In Ella's defense, Ezra hadn't announced himself when he walked in the room a few minutes ago, and Aria hadn't found the right moment to address it.

"Well, have either of them ever had a baby before?"

"No – but neither has Spencer. I'm just saying, it's not like I'm going up completely alone, without any resources. Ezra and I are as prepared as we possibly could be. I know a few people from when I was working up there, and it'll at least be comforting to know that Hardy is around if we need an emergency driver or something…I don't know."

"I guess," Ella said over the speaker. "And I shouldn't say that about Ezra. He's going to be a great father and a huge help – I know it. I'm just worried about you. You're my baby. What if you need me?"

Even thought it was posed as a question, Aria knew her mom wasn't really looking for an answer, and that made her heart break. "I'll call you, Mom," she said. Her voice was quiet. She let the shirt she had been folding drop to her lap and her shoulders seemed to curl forward. "I'm actually getting sort of tired. Can we pick this up tomorrow?"

"Of course," she said. "Tell Ezra I said hello."

There were a few seconds of dead air (during which Ezra let out a sigh and shook his head at the ground) before there was a click signaling the end of the call. Ezra watched the look of defeat pass over Aria's face.

"Hey," he said. "Look at me."

She gave him a watery smile. "I'm fine." She refolded the t-shirt and stacked it among the others before her. "It's going to be fine – this is _not_ something I'm going to worry about."

"Good. I'm glad." He threw an unfolded pair of pants into a box and moved the phone from the floor to the dresser. "But that wasn't what I was going to say…"

Her eyes narrowed and she leaned back, letting her arms support her. Ezra scooted over until he was beside her and leaned down onto his elbows.

"Don't expect anything from Hardy," he said with a smile. Aria threw her head back and the room was filled with a melody of laughter. She eased herself onto her back and Ezra moved to join her, mimicking her position.

"Hey," she said quietly, her eyes alight. "Let's force Hardy and Spencer into going on a double date with us when she's in town."

"We're going to have a two…three week old baby," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You're not going anywhere."

"That does _not_ mean we can't trap them in the same room." Aria raised her eyebrows at him. "He seemed very interested in her when you guys called me a few weeks ago. She just needs a push."

"Those aren't really two people I would want to see at odds, though," Ezra said, a little more reluctant. He reached out and picked up her left hand, playing with the ring on her finger.

"I guess it would be awkward if they hooked up and things went south…birthday parties and holidays would get kind of sticky." She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of his fingers as they pressed into the palm of her hand. "Doesn't that feel weird? Thinking about _birthday parties_?"

She could feel Ezra smile beside her. She turned and let her cheek press into the carpet as she looked at his face, taking in the way his cheeks were covered in stubble, the way his eyes creased at the temple.

"I'm really excited to do this," she said quietly. "And I'm really thankful that you're the one I get to do it with."

"You're stuck with me, Montgomery," he said, pulling her knuckles to his lips as his eyes stayed focused on the ceiling.

She felt a warmth grow in her chest as she closed her eyes, glad to have someone by her side who made her feel as safe and as comforted as he did.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry it took so long to update. That last season really threw me out of touch with Ezria. I've had a really hard time reconnecting with them for some reason...which honestly makes me feel super sad.**

 **I know I harp on this all the time, but I make a point to say it for the sake of all the other fic writers out there. As a reader, please try your best to not be a nag. If it takes someone 2 to 4 months to update, so be it. At least they're updating for you. Whenever someone stopped updating a story I loved, my first concern was always that they had gotten in a horrible accident or that they were clinically depressed...would you really want to leave a nasty comment on their story if that were the case? Probably not. If you want to ask if I have an update in the works, PM me. Anyone who has ever messaged me knows that I am not bothered by people reaching out. Also, I am more active on Tumblr (same name) - so if you want to keep up with me there, please do.  
**

 **Anyway. We're getting close to the end... I'm thinking there will only be one or two more chapters. I'll try to cover as much as possible. MAYBE we'll see a few oneshots that dip into life after the end of NMA. That's something I'm considering...not sure that I'll commit to anything yet though.**

 **PLEASE. Let me know what you thought. Make me feel like this tedious (and most likely boring) update was worth posting Lololol *cries tears of exhaustion***


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: So here we have it...the final chapter. I'm sorry, first and foremost, that it took me so long to getting around to writing and posting this conclusion to NMA. I had this whole plan for how it was going to unfold, covering nine months - not of Aria's pregnancy, but of the time that unfolded after they found out she was pregnant. Obviously that didn't exactly work itself out. I felt like the show changed, the fandom changed, and I guess I sort of drifted from the characters in a way that made it hard for me to find my way back.**

 **Either way, for you, the readers, I forced myself to give you an ending. Because unfinished fics are the WORST. I know. I have both read them and written them. Anyway. It's not long, but please, for the final time...enjoy.**

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Aria let out a deep breath and pulled at the belt loops on her pants. She'd lost a lot of the baby weight, but things still didn't fit like they used to. She imagined they never really would…and that was okay.

"Ezra, they're here," she called up the stairs. She heard his feet as they made their way across the floor overhead and the tight close of a door before she saw his head peek over the landing.

"Everyone?" He was talking to her, but his attention was focused behind her as he craned his neck to try and see out the window.

She tilted her head in exasperation. "Yes, _everyone_ arrived at _exactly_ the same time." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and walked out of his line of vision so that she could get the door.

"Don't give me that attitude," he whispered.

"Well, obviously not _everyone_ showed up at once," she hissed back.

She wasn't really upset; just stressed. She'd put a lot of work into cleaning and getting their home ready for today and, even though she hadn't once expressed it to him, so she couldn't _really_ hold anything against him, those underlying domestic irritations were at play. Would it have killed him to clean a bathroom?

Some things never changed. She should have known from the very first moment she walked through the door of his little studio apartment, its floors scattered with dirty clothes and scrap paper…he was a man, and a messy one at that.

She was glad he didn't continue debating semantics, but instead turned and headed back down the hallway, leaving Aria to tend to the door and the visitors who had arrived. She glanced once in the mirror beside the door before reaching out and pulling the handle, letting the oak door swing wide open.

"I need to know your secret," Spencer said the second Aria opened the door.

Aria felt her face relax as a smile spread its way across her lips.

"I'm serious." Spencer walked forward, her arms out stretched, pulling the small brunette into a hug. "I still can't believe you're really living in this house," she breathed into Aria's hair. Hardy gave Aria a sorry look over Spencer's shoulder.

"Good to see you too, Spence," Aria said, releasing her.

"It's just _so_ much bigger than the first place you had when you guys moved here."

"I don't think she means it the way it came across," Hardy reasoned. He followed his girlfriend through the doorway and gave Aria's shoulders a squeeze after closing the door. "Really anything would be a huge improvement from the last place, though. Am I right?"

"Considering the last place had a bug problem," Aria started, giving them both an irritated but knowing glance, "I'd certainly _hope_ it's an improvement."

A timer went off from somewhere deeper in the house and Aria excused herself to take something out of the oven—or maybe it was to put something _into_ the oven—she'd mumbled in her rush to turn the obnoxious sound off.

Hardy joined Spencer where she was off to the side of the entryway, removing her coat and hanging it on a post beside a small bench. They took a few moments to look a the pictures that hung on the wall, leading from the door down into what appeared to be a living room, or maybe a den.

"It's really beautiful, Aria," Spencer called. "You're right when you say it's small on the outside but big on the inside. That's hard to find in this area."

"And _that_ ," Aria said, poking her head out of what was now clearly the kitchen, a freshly baked loaf of chocolate bread steaming between two oven mitts, "is why you never send a man to do a woman's job,"

Spencer helped herself into the living room, pulling Hardy behind her. "Seriously. It's unbelievable. It's got to be everything you've ever dreamed of. Is Ezra happy with it?"

Aria joined them and began absently picking up the last few toys from where they sat, forgotten on the floor.

"His only complaint is that we're a little removed from the city. And the mortgage is significantly more than we anticipated. But…" She leaned forward so that her line of vision was able to angle down the hall, wanting to ensure she wouldn't be overheard. She lowered her voice, "I don't think he really cares that much. He just likes to make out like it bothers him."

"I bet Rosie loves having a backyard," Hardy said as he gazed out one of the windows.

"More than you could imagine," Aria said. She let out a little sigh. "She's only just turning one and already, I'm convinced she'd rather spend all day outside. I'm telling you what—" She held up her thumb and pointer finger, leaving a fraction of empty space visible. "If she keeps it up as she gets older, I'll be like, this close to sending her to spend a week with Emily. I like the outdoors, but I'm not really the 'outdoorsy' type, if you know what I mean."

"You don't say," Spencer said sarcastically. "Speaking of the devil, where is our little birthday girl?"

Before Aria could say anything, Ezra came bounding down the staircase, a half-asleep Rosie in tow.

"Look who it is, Posey," Ezra said, leaning his head into to his daughter's ear as they entered the room. "It's Aunt Spence and Uncle Hardy."

"Oh m god," Spencer said, stealing Rosie away the second she could. She pulled the little girl into a bear hug and buried her face in her neck, blowing light raspberries in her soft skin until a light melody of laughter filled the room. "How is my favorite little peanut already one year old?"

Ezra wandered off to talk to Hardy, gesturing wildly to the backyard behind the house and Aria took a seat on the couch, Spencer dipping to the floor and taking out the same toys Aria had just picked up.

"She is your spitting image, Aria."

Aria looked at her daughter fondly. Every day she looked more and more like a miniature version of herself, but as she watched her playing now, she could see those specks of Ezra coming through. She had his eyes, his chin. She thought she could see a shared dimple in her right cheek.

"You know you're going to have your hands full, right?" Spencer said, joking.

"Oh, I know. If she's anything like me, I'll turn grey before she's thirteen."

Spencer looked behind her shoulder to where the guys were standing. "Yeah," she said. "She's not the only one I'm talking about." It brought a laugh from both of them. "How's it been? First year being married, first year raising a baby…first year living in a new city. That's a lot to take in."

"It is," Aria said, her face contemplative. "But it's great. I don't know if you could tell…" Her mouth dipped down at the edges, showing her teeth in an unnatural way. "I wasn't exactly prepared for any of it. It was quite an adjustment. But I don't think I could ask for anything more than this."

* * *

Over the next hour, the rest of their friends and family piled into their home and for the first time, possibly since Rosie was born, Aria and Ezra had all their favorite people in one place; without any quarrels or spats. It was refreshing, but at the same time, it seemed to promise: _take advantage now—it won't last long_.

The afternoon flew by. Aria was swept up with an unsettling mixture of happiness and sadness as she watched her daughter interact with everyone there. She was standing in the kitchen, her back against the counter and a lighter in her hand. There was a small chocolate cake sitting on the stove across from her, a little candle sticking out the middle that spelled ONE in big, pink letters.

Ezra walked dipped his head around the corner and took in the expression on her face.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong?" He pulled himself in further, checking behind him to make sure no one followed. The chatter of the crowd in the other room was quieter once he had a wall separating. He came forward and pulled Aria to him. "Hey," he said again.

"How has it already been a year?" she said mournfully, planting her face in his chest and taking a deep, steadying breath. She did her best to keep herself from crying.

Ezra didn't know what to say aside from, "I love you," so he left it at that, letting his hand make its way over her hair for a few seconds as she composed herself. He planted a kiss on the crown of her head and pulled her back a fraction of an inch, sweeping his thumbs under her eyes, warding away any stray tears that had managed to fight their way out. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she said, reluctant. She turned and lit the candle on the cake. "Let's go regret this chocolate icing."

Ezra chuckled—she had a point. It would most certainly be a bigger mess than either of them could adequately anticipate. As he watched Aria lift the cake and lead the way out of the kitchen, he took a moment to appreciate her from behind, from the curve of her dark hair as it hit her shoulders to the way her right elbow jutted out at a slight angle, making her somehow look even smaller than she was.

In that moment, as he watched the mother of his child carry the smallest birthday cake he'd ever seen to a wide-eyed, mirth-filled toddler, he knew one thing with absolute clarity: he'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

There wasn't a thing—not a _thing_ in the world—that he'd imagine doing differently. This was more than he could ever ask for, and he knew it was more than he ever deserved.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for taking the time to humor this trivial piece of fanfiction. I have so enjoyed writing it for you and reading all your comments. Until next time.**

 **btf**


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